


Daisy

by Caramelquokka0325



Series: Home [7]
Category: Stray Kids (Band), TOMORROW X TOGETHER | TXT (Korea Band)
Genre: Adoption, Alternate Universe - Foster Family, Best Friends Choi Soobin & Choi Yeonjun, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Family, Foster Care, Gentleness, Growing Up, Jisung is too soft, Minho mama bear, Overcoming fears, Psychological Trauma, Sibling Bonding, Soobin baby bread, Starting Fresh, past trauma, yeonjun best boy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-24
Updated: 2021-03-10
Packaged: 2021-03-11 01:35:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 47,678
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28276971
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Caramelquokka0325/pseuds/Caramelquokka0325
Summary: “Is he yours?” someone asked him.Soobin leaned his head on Jisung’s shoulder, comfortable to relax in his arms. Jisung wasn’t sure what to respond for a moment.  It gave the appearance that Soobin was his because of how much Soobin clung to him.“He’s both of ours actually.”Jisung glanced over in surprise to see Minho standing beside him. He nodded and slid his hands into his pockets comfortably.“Oh, is he adopted then?” someone else followed up.Jisung stared at Minho, Soobin still nestled in his arms. He had always thought of Soobin as his internally but really, he was Minho’s baby. Jisung technically didn’t have any rights to him. That was why he was so shocked by Minho announcing to other people that Soobin was… his.Minho raised his eyebrow and nodded at Jisung to answer the second question.“U-uh yes- yes. He’s adopted.” Jisung snapped his eyes back and adjusted Soobin slightly. “And he’s… ours.”*Updated once a week*
Series: Home [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1837153
Comments: 103
Kudos: 95





	1. Minho

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone! Welcome to yet another baby story because it's always soft hours! This one is part of a series and can be read alone, but it would probably be helpful to read the previous stories to get a full grasp on the characters! I'm adding in TXT because I adore them so much and MOA is my main fandom!! It's honestly crazy I haven't written them yet... I hope you enjoy! this first chapter is kind of slow but then it starts to really pick up!

Minho knew what it was like to be a foster child. He also knew what it was like to grow up with other children with similar backgrounds. He had even studied child psychology in college and was a therapist. He was sure that nothing could surprise him or throw him off when he adopted his own child.

Apparently, he was wrong. The moment he first held Soobin, he knew things would be complicated. Because he was hopelessly in love from the start. His heart was irreversibly tangled up with Soobin and he couldn’t change it.

He had called his own dad the first night and obsessed over all the little things all over again. He didn’t sleep either, instead sitting next to Soobin’s crib and watching over him. Jisung laughed at him and managed to pull him away to get some sleep. He was just so enthralled by how tiny Soobin was.

The first two or three years felt like a roller coaster that never stopped. Minho had to balance his career and life with having a little baby that needed constant attention.

He had more than a few breakdowns, and he dropped Soobin off with his parents for a rest day quite often in the early years. Even through it all, Soobin was such a good baby.

As he grew, Minho began to fall into a rhythm more and more. Each day started with Minho going to wake up Soobin so they could tackle the morning together.

“Good morning honey.” Minho murmured as he lifted Soobin into his arms.

Soobin lay his head on his shoulder and sniffled a little.

“I’m going to make us breakfast, sound good?” Minho talked to Soobin softly.

Soobin was a quiet kid, borderline unusual for his age, but the doctors had said it was okay. He was just a bit of a late bloomer. Minho always made an effort to make conversation with Soobin even if it was only returned some of the time.

“It’s a little chilly.” Minho tugged socks onto Soobin’s feet with one hand, supporting him with the other. “Were you warm when you were sleeping?”

“Mm hm.” Soobin hummed, his thumb gravitating towards his mouth again.

“I’ll get you another blanket for tonight, just in case.” Minho lifted him more securely into his arms and headed into the hall.

A loud crash from the bathroom startled both of them, Soobin jerked in his arms and raised his head to find the source of the noise.

“You okay Ji?” Minho called out, pushing his feet into his slippers.

“Yeah… knocked his toys into the tub.” Jisung called back sheepishly.

Minho smiled and shuffled into the kitchen with a definitely more alert Soobin.

“I’m going to attempt to make waffles.” Minho told Soobin as he sat him down on the counter. “We’ll see how this goes.”

He grabbed the instruction pamphlet that came with the waffle maker he had bought earlier in the week. Jisung had been talking about waffles recently and Minho had made an impulse buy.

He read through the sample recipes while keeping his hand on Soobin’s tummy to keep him from sliding off the counter.

“I want that one.” Soobin pointed to the picture on the back of the pamphlet.

It was one of the fancier recipes with nicely cut fruit and whipped cream.

“That one?” Minho laughed, already doubting his capabilities. “I’ll do my best.”

Soobin popped his thumb in his mouth and kicked his feet off of the counter back and forth. He was coming up on four years old and already getting pretty big.

“Waffles! Finally!” Jisung entered the kitchen, bringing his usual energy.

“Perfect timing.” Minho scooped Soobin off of the counter and deposited him in Jisung’s arms. He needed both hands free to make waffles.

“Why are your socks mismatched, huh?” Jisung asked Soobin in a playful tone.

“Daddy did it.” Soobin shifted the blame to Minho.

“You try putting socks on him one-handed.” Minho said over his shoulder. “At least he has two.”

“That’s okay. Daddy just wanted to make you unique.” Jisung kissed Soobin’s cheek.

Minho smiled at the two of them interacting. Jisung was his other half.

He was silly and creative, coming up with ways to keep Soobin entertained for hours when Minho was running on low energy. He tended to baby Soobin more than Minho did, but he wouldn’t say Soobin was spoiled so it was okay.

Jisung had graduated college and then gone back so he could specialize in music production. He claimed he was a part time student and part time babysitter.

“Do you have work today?” Jisung asked, sitting Soobin in his high chair.

“Later in the evening I have two clients.” Minho replied. “I should be fast. Did you need to do something? I can bring Soobin with me.”

“No, I was just curious.” Jisung pulled some fruit out of the refrigerator and washed it in the sink.

“Guess Jisung is your babysitter tonight.” Minho told Soobin. “Don’t let him burn the place down.”

Jisung rolled his eyes, cutting up strawberries.

Minho grabbed a piece while he was waiting for a waffle to cook and gave it to Soobin. He reached his hand out for it but began to tip out of his high chair.

“Woah!” Minho caught him with one arm before he could slide to the floor.

It was a bad habit of Jisung’s to forget to strap Soobin into his chair.

“Jisung!” Minho scolded him, setting Soobin back in place and strapping him in. Soobin plucked the strawberry from his fingers and ate it as if nothing had happened.

“Oops…” Jisung grinned with embarrassment.

Maybe Soobin was a little old to have a high chair, but it kept him contained as he ate since Minho had a hard time with him running off mid meal.

“How am I supposed to leave you two alone?” Minho groaned.

“I promise it won’t happen again.” Jisung made the same promise he made a few days ago. Minho gave him a look but let it slide.

“I was going to have Hyunjin come over tomorrow. Is that okay?” Jisung asked.

“I told you he’s welcome anytime.” Minho sighed.

Jisung and him split the rent so the place was equally theirs. Jisung tended to ask permission for people to come over when he was watching Soobin, but Minho trusted him.

Minho plated Soobin’s waffle and cut it into manageable pieces. Soobin was a slow eater and he picked around food that was too large.

“Here you go honey.” Minho set his plate onto his tray.

“He’s probably only going to eat the strawberries and whipped cream.” Jisung told him.

“I know but I have to try.” Minho replied.

Some kids were just picky eaters, or not all that interested in food. If Soobin had his way he would never eat a meal in favor of snacking all day.

Minho went around getting ready for his day while Jisung and Soobin ate together. He was a therapist, true to what he had gone to school for. He was happy with his job. Being a dad made things a little complicated, but he had been able to split his work into in person sessions and online sessions. The online therapy sessions were done from home. His patients for those sessions usually struggled attending face to face for one reason or another.

He was paid decently well. More than enough to support Soobin and himself with some leftover for Jisung if the need ever arose.

“How are we doing?” Minho checked in on Soobin only to find he had eaten a little less than half of his waffle.

“Can I get down?” Soobin asked.

“Three more bites.” Minho told him, combing down his bed hair with his fingers.

“I’m going to be stuck in my room brainstorming for most of the day.” Jisung told Minho, meaning he couldn’t be disturbed by Soobin for the first half of the day.

“I’ll keep the noise level down.” Minho nodded.

“Done!” Soobin wiggled around.

“Soobin-.” Minho sighed. “I meant three pieces of waffle, not three tiny bites.”

Soobin pouted and took another small bite.

“He’s a bunny.” Jisung told him teasingly. “This is his normal diet.”

Minho rolled his eyes.

Once Soobin was finally done, Minho dressed him and plopped him down in front of the TV to watch cartoons while he did a little bit of work.

He limited his TV time to only half an hour a day, if at all. He just ran out of ways to entertain him if he needed to work.

As a psychologist, he was able to work from home and his office. He specifically worked with kids that needed care but were too far away to come to a specialist. By connecting over the phone, or more accurately the screen, he was able to reach more people.

That’s how the day usually went. Time with Soobin. Time with clients. Sometimes he had to run errands and do household things. But at the end of it all he got to enjoy his favorite part of the day.

Minho’s favorite part of the day was getting to relax with Jisung. When they had decided to buy an apartment together, Minho had laid out a ton of rules so they both felt equally seen and heard. The had quickly discarded the rules and lived in comfortable harmony. Minho still yelled at Jisung for not putting in fabric softener, and Jisung whined about Minho snoring, but they worked with each other so everything ended up balancing out.

Minho got to debrief his day with Soobin and Jisung got to destress his classes and work.

“How was your day?” Minho asked, sitting in the couch next to Jisung.

He dipped his spoon into his yogurt. With a kid in the house, sugar was basically an enemy. He preferred to keep healthy snacks around that wouldn’t make Soobin bounce off of the walls.

“My neck is so sore from bending over while studying for hours.” Jisung lay his head back against the couch cushions with a sigh.

“Soobin bit my finger today.” Minho held up his finger with a bandage around it.

“On purpose?” Jisung touched his hand and then let his own fall tiredly.

“Nah, it was an accident.” Minho replied.

“He has a lot of energy.” Jisung commented. “I think he has more energy than the two of us combined.”

“He needs a playmate his age.” Minho sighed.

“Maybe we should get a puppy.” Jisung looked at him hopefully.

“No.” Minho’s reply was stern. “If I’m not getting a cat then you’re not getting a dog.”

“Right, who needs a puppy when we have a cute Soobin?” Jisung laughed.

“He’s real cute when he throws a fit over which show to watch for half an hour.” Minho replied sarcastically.

Jisung shuffled over to lean his head on Minho’s shoulder.

“Are you going to see your family tomorrow?” Jisung asked.

“Mm hm.” Minho set his yogurt aside. “Wanna tag along?”

“No, Hyunjin asked me to grab lunch with him actually. So we’ll be out…” Jisung yawned and stretched before switching to laying his head on Minho’s lap so he could lie down.

“Tell him hi for me.”

“He’s dying to see Soobin.” Jisung snapped his fingers. “Jeongin too. He doesn’t understand why we don’t bring him over for their entertainment every day.”

“Entertainment ha!” Minho laughed at that. “I guess he is very entertaining.”

“So…” Jisung looked up at him, then away. “Have you thought about my idea anymore?”

“Mm… some.” Minho shrugged. “I know moving would bring you closer to the studio, but are we really in a place where we _can_ move?”

“I’ve been working more.” Jisung lifted his head and pillowed it with his hand.

“You need to be studying more.” Minho poked his tummy.

“The way I see it, we’ll be closer to both our jobs and we can find the money if we buckle down a little bit.”

“We’re already stretched thin.” Minho reached for his phone. “I do need to check the water bill…”

“I’ll ask you again later.” Jisung said in a defeated tone.

“I really am thinking about it.” Minho tried to reassure him. “I didn’t just say no. I want to see if we can make it work in the future.”

“Yeah, I get it.” Jisung accepted his sentiment.

“You sure you don’t want to come home with us tomorrow?” Minho double checked.

“Next time I will.” Jisung held up his pinky. “Unless you really want me to go. If you’ll miss me that much.”

“I’ll miss you being there to keep an eye on Soobin.” Minho teased. “But no, have fun with Hyunjin. You need a break too.”

“Okay.” Jisung patted Minho’s hand which rested on his chest. “I’ll go grocery shopping so you don’t have to worry about it.”

“Thanks.” Minho grabbed the remote from the coffee table. “Now I’m going to let my brain zone out.”

“Sounds good.” Jisung sighed and turned his attention to the TV.

The next day, Minho had to put himself through the struggle of getting Soobin ready. It was always a struggle it seemed with how passive resistant Soobin was. He just didn’t like to do some of the necessary evils. Like putting on his shoes.

“Let’s go honey.” Minho crouched to put Soobin’s shoes on.

Soobin sat patiently while Minho struggled to get his shoes on.

“Stop curling your toes.” Minho huffed, trying to push his foot into the sneaker with difficulty.

Soobin just sat, holding the cookie Minho had given him almost twenty minutes ago.

Finally, Minho strapped on his Velcro straps and stood, holding his hand out for Soobin’s. He looked between the cookie in his hand and Minho’s outstretched one.

“Oh, you’re making me spoil you.” Minho gave in to his puppy dog eyes and lifted him up, balancing against his hip as best as he could. “Let’s go puppy.”

“Going to see papa?” Soobin asked.

“Yep.” Minho nodded. “Eat your cookie before we get there. I’m sure he’ll have other goodies to stuff you with.”

He patted Soobin’s tummy and kissed his cheek.

Minho stole a few glances at him as he drove. He was growing up so fast and Minho wished he could slow it down. He remembered when he was strapping Soobin into a baby carseat, or carrying him around in his arms since he was so tiny. He was absolutely adorable as a baby and now.

He got excited when he recognized the neighborhood they were in, letting out a small gasp and kicking his feet against the carseat.

Minho smiled as he unbuckled him once they arrived.

“Did you finish your cookie?” Minho brushed crumbs off of his hand.

Soobin pointed to the space in between the seat and the door. Minho looked down and groaned. He didn’t know how so much of Soobin’s food got eaten by something other than him.

“Soobin!” A voice called out from the porch.

He excitedly wiggled down to the ground and ran as fast as his little legs could take him towards the house.

Seungmin scooped Soobin up into his arms, giving him snuggles.

“You’re so big!” Seungmin gasped playfully. “You have to slow down!”

Minho joined them and rumpled Soobin’s hair.

“I want to see papa.” Soobin told Seungmin, pointing towards the house.

“Let’s go!” Seungmin carried him inside the house.

“Where’s my greeting?” Minho called after him.

He was glad Seungmin and Felix adored Soobin so much. They were excellent babysitters when Minho had to drop Soobin off for a day with them.

“Hey Min.” Chan hugged him when he followed them inside.

A little of the tension from the week, slipped from his shoulders. It was nice to be home.

“I need you to wear him out as much as possible.” Minho teased. “He was up way too late. He needs a full twelve hours tonight.”

“How much sleep did _you_ get?” Chan grinned.

“I caught an hour or two in there.” Minho smiled, setting his backpack on the chair.

“Generally though, is he doing okay?” Chan asked.

“He’s doing just fine.” Minho nodded. “I took him to get his shots and he did pretty well. He’s healthy and growing as expected for his age. Still doesn’t eat as much as I would want him too though…”

“Glad to hear it.” Chan squeezed his shoulder. “How’s Jisung?”

“Same as always.” Minho grinned fondly. “Absolutely adores Soobin. I couldn’t manage without him.”

“Oh, I meant to warn you.” Chan told him. “Changbin is looking around for a home for a little boy and he has been asking quite literally everyone.”

“I’m surprised you haven’t softened and taken him.” Minho laughed.

“I was tempted.” Chan sighed. “Poor thing has been bouncing around too much and no one wants him long term. I just don’t think we are ready to take another one.”

“Behavioral issues?” Minho asked.

“He’s aggressive.” Chan replied. “But therapy hasn’t really done much.”

Minho frowned. It was always sad for him to hear a child wasn’t getting the help they needed.

“You think Changbin is going to ask me to take him?” Minho was confused. “I don’t really think I’m in a place to-.”

“He wanted to ask you about therapy.” Chan corrected. “He has the kid just waiting around in limbo and was hoping someone could make a break through.”

Minho’s heart was saddened to hear it.

“I told him you were too busy with your other clients and didn’t do much pro bono work.” Chan shrugged.

“I wouldn’t mind meeting with him if I have time.” Minho said, his interest piqued.

“Let’s put that aside for now.” Chan waved his hand. “Have you eaten yet? Lunch is ready.”

Minho grinned and followed him into the kitchen.

When Minho had let his family know he would be adopting Soobin, it definitely came as a shock. However, they had been quick to jump in and support him in any way possible. Thanks to them, Minho felt comfortable raising his child in tandem with them.

Jisung was the biggest help though. He had been with him since the beginning, way back when they themselves were only children. Growing up as foster to adopted children had created a strong bond between them. They knew each other better than anyone else.

That was why Minho knew he was up to mischief when he walked in the door later that night when they were back home.

“I stopped by the store on the way home for groceries and I saw _these!_ ” Jisung held up a bag of little furry characters in bright colors.

Soobin’s fork clattered to the ground and he reached both hands out for the bag.

“Finish dinner first.” Minho collected his fork to wash it.

“I guess it’s a stacking game, but with these little puffballs instead.” Jisung read the back of the bag.

Soobin giggled and wriggled around, trying to get out of his chair.

“You have to eat before you play!” Minho caught his arm before he could try to stand up in his chair.

Soobin pouted and sat reluctantly.

“Don’t tempt him Jisung, please?” Minho sighed.

Soobin was a picky eater but most of the time he got distracted and didn’t finish his meal.

“I’ll come eat with you guys.” Jisung shrugged his coat off on the couch.

Minho had only made dinner for him and Soobin so he slid his plate over to Jisung.

“I’m not hungry.” Minho said before Jisung could argue.

He rested his chin on his hands tiredly, watching Soobin push around a carrot on his plate.

“How was lunch with Hyunjin?” Minho asked.

“Great!” Jisung replied as he ate quickly. “We actually stopped back at home and took Jeongin out for ice cream.”

“That’s nice.” Minho was glad Jisung got a day to relax with his family as well. He had been adopted into Minho’s family and spent a lot of time with them, but he needed his own family time too.

Minho grimaced watching Soobin play with his food instead of eating it.

“Gosh pup.” Minho sighed, taking matters into his own hands. “The sooner you’re done the sooner you can go.”

He took Soobin’s fork from him and tried to feed him himself. Soobin didn’t like being fed though so he pushed Minho’s hand away and crossed his arms moodily.

“Open.” Minho demanded, not giving up until Soobin had finished at least half of his meal.

“No.” Soobin looked him defiantly but turned his head away when Minho tried to coax him. Minho was reaching the end of his patience.

“No snacks for you.” he threatened but Soobin wouldn’t budge.

“Okay, you are going to sit here until you’re done.” Minho set down his fork and stood. “I don’t care how long it takes.”

Jisung gave Soobin the look, warning him Minho meant business. Soobin glared at Minho and refused to give in.

He held out until Jisung and Minho had left the table, Minho doing dishes and Jisung putting away groceries he had bought.

Soobin sniffled a little but Minho ignored him. When that didn’t work, Soobin tried crying, putting his hands on the table and hiding his face.

Jisung looked over at him, pity evident on his face but Minho shook his head.

“He has to learn somehow.” Minho said. “He can’t get out of it every time.”

Minho and Jisung went about their chores with Soobin stuck in his little prison. He cried for a bit longer and then stopped, realizing it wouldn’t work.

Close to an hour later, Soobin called to Minho who was in the living room.

“I’m done.” he said meekly, his plate mostly clear.

“Good job puppy.” Minho let him out and gave him a kiss. “You can play now.”

Soobin ran off to find Jisung and see his new toy while Minho put Soobin’s plate in the sink. It was exhausting parenting a child, especially when they were being defiant.

Less than a few minutes later, Soobin’s happy squeals filtered into the kitchen.

Minho let them play for a little while in peace as he cleaned up the apartment. He had gotten a nice apartment that was pretty spacious. Soobin had his own room while Minho and Jisung shared the other.

He found the two of them in Soobin’s room playing with the game Jisung had brought home. It seemed they had given up on actually playing and were just making up their own scenarios.

“Let me join.” Minho sat behind Jisung and wrapped his arm around his middle to tug him back against his chest. It was a scheme to get Soobin to come to him.

Soon enough, Soobin waddled over and tried to wiggle between them, making Jisung laugh.

“You’re just the cuddle monster, aren’t you?” Minho snuggled him close.

It was pure bliss being able to relax at the end of a long day and spend time with his two favorite boys.

“Did my dad talk to you about the little boy?” Jisung asked.

“Huh? Oh, yeah my dad said Changbin was going to ask me about him.” Minho nodded.

“My family will be taking him in for a little bit while things are sorted out.” Jisung lay back on the carpet and tucked his hands behind his head. “It’s been so long since they last fostered anyone. Since Jeongin was adopted right out of the gate.”

“Yeah, it has been a long time.” Minho hummed. “I’ll help out if I can in any way.”

“It’s times like these I wish I had a useful profession.”

“Oh stop it!” Minho reached over to smack his forehead lightly. “Making music is such a great career. Imagine how many millions of people you will help!”

“Maybe…” Jisung smiled.

Soobin lay still in Minho’s arms, signaling he was getting tired and Minho could start the bed time routine.

Jisung offered to clean up while Minho brought Soobin in to change into pajamas.

“I want to do it myself!” Soobin tried to push Minho away from his dresser.

“Let me get your jammies from your top drawer.” Minho replied.

Soobin was at the age where he wanted to dress himself.

“Here.” Minho lifted him so he could sort through his pajamas himself.

“My dinos ones…” Soobin searched through the clothes and pulled out his matching set of soft dinosaur pajamas.

“Let’s do socks too cuz it’s a little cold.” Minho helped him tug on socks as well.

“Daddy, can I have a snack?” Soobin asked, pressing his hands together nicely in an attempt to win Minho over even though he had lost snacks at dinner.

“I have some of dinner’s leftovers.” Minho brushed his hair down. “Do you want some more of that?”

Soobin held Minho’s hand and tried his best to look cuter than usual.

“Can I have fishies?” he asked timidly.

“What do you say?” Minho prompted.

“Please.” Soobin added.

“Okay you can have one pack of fish crackers and then you have to brush your teeth and go to bed.” Minho decided he would let Soobin have a snack. Maybe it would make up for some of his half-finished meals.

He arranged Soobin’s plushies against his wall so he wasn’t crowded out in his bed. He tapped the nose of a fluffy bunny. He sometimes snapped out of things and marveled at where he was. It felt like yesterday he was rocking baby Soobin to sleep.

When he came back into the living room, he found Soobin trying to climb under Jisung’s arm to sit on his lap while he studied.

“I said you could get a snack, not harass Jisung.” Minho tiredly removed Soobin and sat with him on the couch. “He literally just played with you.”

“It’s okay.” Jisung said without looking up from his notes. “He’s my little cheerleader.”

“No, he’s distracting you.” Minho corrected but kissed Soobin’s head. “You have to learn to say no when you’re studying.”

Jisung rolled his eyes but didn’t argue.

Soobin made his fish cracker swim through the air. Minho wondered if he had made a mistake letting him have the snack. He liked to play with his food more than eating it.

“I need to take a break.” Jisung pushed his books away and stretched. “Can I have snuggle time?”

“No tickling.” Minho let Soobin crawl over to Jisung’s lap. “It’s almost bedtime.”

“Ah… healing.” Jisung smiled, hugging Soobin close.

Minho leaned his head against the back of the couch.

“I knew you would be the best little one ever.” Jisung told Soobin as he tried to feed Jisung a cracker.

“I need to get him a winter coat.” Minho thought out loud. “He outgrew his old one…”

“Your daddy is thinking too much.” Jisung wrinkled his nose at Soobin.

Minho rolled his eyes. Jisung loved everything soft and fluffy about Soobin. If he was parenting him alone, he would probably give in to his whims a lot. That was why Minho and Jisung were great together.

“Can you finish up your crackers?” Minho asked Soobin. “I want to go to bed soon.”

“Don’t leave me to study.” Jisung pouted and wrapped his arms around Soobin.

“If you want to put him to bed, be my guest.” Minho murmured. “I’m crashing right now.”

“Do you want me to get you into bed?” Jisung asked Soobin.

Soobin nodded, nibbling on a cracker.

“Just don’t be too late.” Minho dragged himself up, letting his hand brush against the top of Soobin’s head as he walked by.

Minho had a sneaking suspicion he wouldn’t get to sleep so easily. Sure enough, Soobin padded into his room a few minutes later.

“I brushed my teeth so I can have a story!” Soobin smiled brightly at Minho and pointed at his teeth.

“You didn’t want Jisung to read to you?” Minho followed him to his room.

“I like when daddy does the voices.” Soobin shrugged.

“Okay… I have a new book.” Minho pulled one they hadn’t read before off of his shelf.

“Does it have pictures?” Soobin asked, letting Minho squish into his bed next to him.

“Of course it has pictures.” Minho smiled. He highly doubted Soobin would have any interest if it didn’t have pictures.

Soobin fell quiet so Minho could read. He got through half the book before Soobin got restless.

“Who is that?” Soobin pointed at the picture on the page before Minho was able to read it.

“That is the prince.” Minho told him.

“What does he do?” Soobin continued.

“He is here to fight the big dragon and save the princess.” Minho smiled. He was basically summarizing the book instead of reading it.

“Where is the princess?” Soobin asked.

Minho pointed out the princess on the next page.

“Oh…” Soobin looked disappointed. “I know this story.”

“I’ve never read it to you before!” Minho laughed.

“But I know it.” Soobin sat up and placed his hands on Minho’s chest. “The prince saves the princess and they live happily ever forever.”

Minho smiled at his mistake in the phrase but it made him think. It was a terribly predictable story and far too stereotypical.

“I’ll tell you a real story.” Minho set the book aside and maneuvered Soobin back against his side.

Soobin popped his thumb in his mouth to listen.

“There’s a princess in this story, but she isn’t the main character.” Minho started off. “She is just part of it.”

Soobin looked confused, but went with it.

“This is about the prince. He was there for the princess at the right time, when she needed him.” Minho continued. “He did his duty and then they never saw each other again.”

“Why?” Soobin asked.

“Because they both got what they wanted.” Minho shrugged a little. “She got to live her life and the prince got to start his.”

“Huh?” Soobin had a hard time since Minho was being vague.

Minho knew he wouldn’t really grasp the story since it was reflection of events that had happened before he was even born. Minho had been the prince at one point. His gift from the princess wasn’t gold or riches, or even love, it was a small precious baby.

“She gave the prince a gift.” Minho told him. “A really small, tiny gift that grew bigger and bigger each year. That was more important than their happily ever after.”

“Oh… I like gifts.” Soobin nodded.

“You are the gift.” Minho snuggled his face against Soobin’s and then got out of his bed.

“Tomorrow I be with Jiji?” Soobin rubbed his eyes with his small fists.

“Yep.” Minho nodded and leaned down to kiss him again just because he could.

“Night daddy…” Soobin murmured.

“Goodnight baby. I love you.”


	2. Jisung

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has me in my feelsss! Honestly, Minho and Jisung goals. I love to write it! Soobin is as always the cutest baby ever but I focused a lot more on Jisung and Minho this chapter to balance out the baby fever! I have been tying in this story with their past history a lot! Hopefully it's fun to recognize! 
> 
> Minho is Jisung's safe space and Jisung is Minho's universe! Add in Soobin and you get their own family which Jisung is slowly starting to feel secure in even after all this time! Anyways, I hope it's soft and sweet! Next chapter will be up soon!

The best days were days when Jisung had Soobin all to himself to love on and cuddle with. He of course loved having Minho there too, but their one-on-one time was special. Jisung was always happy to babysit Soobin.

“I’m sad you are going to get too big to carry.” Jisung thought out loud to himself as he brought Soobin into the kitchen. When he was a baby, Jisung had loved to carry him around on his chest, swaddled by the carrier but pressed warm to Jisung’s chest. He didn’t even mind if Soobin drooled a little when he fell asleep.

He quickly grew out of that stage and liked to run around more than be carried.

“I want grapes.” Soobin gave his input as Jisung set him down to open the fridge.

“Grapes it is!” Jisung grabbed some cheese too. He tried to stuff Soobin whenever he could.

“I want to sit up there!” Soobin tugged on his shirt as he cut the grapes in half.

“Uh…” Jisung thought about it. “I’ll be done in a sec.”

Soobin sat on the counter while Minho cooked or prepared things, somehow managing to multi-task and make sure Soobin didn’t fall while also getting things done. Jisung wasn’t at that level yet.

“Jiji eat too.” Soobin held up a grape for Jisung when he was done cleaning up.

“Thank you!” Jisung accepted his offering.

It was raining outside which meant they couldn’t go on a walk Jisung had planned. Instead they cuddled up with blankets in front of the TV and watched kid’s movies.

After a bit, Soobin got bored and went to sit in front of the glass doors they had that led to the small balcony. The rain was steadily soaking the few plants stuck out on the balcony.

Soobin jiggled the child lock they had put on the handles, maybe hoping to go outside.

“Wanna see something special?” Jisung crouched beside him.

He blew his warm breath on the cold glass and then drew a heart with his finger. Minho would scold him if he saw what he was doing, but what he didn’t know couldn’t hurt him. Jisung would just clean the glass before he noticed.

Soobin tried to make a condensation drawing as well. His nose bumped the glass once before he had fogged it up enough to try writing his name.

“Good job!” Jisung praised him.

“Can you do daddy’s name?” Soobin asked.

Jisung wrote out the characters for Minho’s name as well. Soobin giggled before they faded.

“I already know I’m going to miss you like this.” Jisung sighed.

“Huh?” Soobin asked, focused on his drawing.

“I’m glad I get to be with you when you’re a baby.” Jisung said, more for himself than for Soobin. He traced Soobin’s tiny toes over his socks and then brushed back his soft hair.

He had already grown so fast. Jisung had an acute awareness of time speeding by. Just yesterday it seemed he had given Soobin a bath in the sink.

“Thinking of baths… you need one.” Jisung reminded himself. “Want to get nice and warm little bunny?”

“Uh huh!” Soobin hopped up and ran to the bathroom.

He loved baths. Nothing beat a bath on a rainy day too.

By the time Soobin was all clean and snuggled up in pajamas and a blanket, Minho got home.

“Daddy!” Soobin shrieked when he heard the door unlock.

Jisung joined them shortly after in the kitchen.

“Your payment for watching him.” Minho teased and handed him one of the coffee drinks he loved.

“I needed this for the long night I have ahead!” Jisung replied gratefully.

“Are you really busy?” Minho frowned.

“Kinda… just finishing up technical aspects on a lot of projects.” Jisung shrugged.

“I was going to talk to you about something but I can make it quick.” Minho frowned, seeming more thoughtful than usual.

“Yeah, what’s up?” Jisung leaned against the counter.

“Why don’t you go find a toy in your room.” Minho addressed Soobin first and sent him off. Jisung assumed the conversation was sensitive then.

“You know I’ve been doing some work for your dad to help this kid out, right?” Minho started seriously.

“Yeah, I remember.”

“I can’t really make a break through and it really made me have some thoughts…” Minho rubbed his chin and then paused as if he was weighing his words carefully.

“It’s such a strange situation because he’s really sweet and I can’t seem to find anything wrong… but maybe it’s because we aren’t in an environment where issues arise.”

“You want more in-depth observation?” Jisung asked.

“I’ve actually had it with some kids but he still seems fine. I really don’t see what the past homes say is wrong with him.” Minho sighed. “I highly believe that the fault may be in the past caregivers, especially since his aggression has never been reported as excessively sadistic, or strange. He could just be reacting to what he’s given.”

“Poor thing…” Jisung felt sorry for the kid.

“What I would love to do is give him a home. Honestly I can’t stop thinking about it and it’s driving me half-insane.” Minho admitted. “I don’t know what to do but I needed to just- talk about it because I’m confusing myself!”

“You mean like, adopt him? Or foster him?” Jisung checked. It was not something he had prepared to hear in the slightest.

“It’s crazy right? I’m crazy!” Minho laughed and shook his head. “Forget I said anything!”

“Wait, no-.”

Jisung caught Minho’s arm.

“You obviously thought about it so tell me more.”

“I don’t know… just the dad in me not wanting the kid to be alone I guess.” Minho shrugged sheepishly. “But it’s really ridiculous. We don’t have time or space to adopt another kid.”

“Not really… but could we do something else?” Jisung thought aloud.

“Not sure. It’s just a sad situation.”

“I’m sorry…” Jisung felt bad Minho carried the weight of what was happening.

He had always been so sensitive and attentive to those in need. He probably wanted to do something really meaningful for the kid. But he was right. They just weren’t in the capacity to take him in which is what he needed most.

They had their hands full taking care of Soobin.

Jisung pushed it out of his mind as Minho and him worked together to get dinner done quickly.

“Hyunjin said he was going to take a day trip with Miya.” Jisung spoke up. “He invited all of us. Jeongin will be there.”

“Where to?” Minho settled Soobin into his chair and handed him his plate.

“Just hiking. They’ll be camping overnight but we can just follow along for the first stretch.”

“That sounds fun. If I don’t have work I would love to go.” Minho nodded. “If I do, you can take Soobin.”

“Cool.” Jisung grinned.

They were interrupted by Soobin coughing a little and then making a weird noise.

“You good honey?” Minho looked at him.

Soobin stared back at them, his mouth parted and face a little red.

“He’s choking!” Jisung realized.

Minho lifted Soobin swiftly and smacked the heel of his hand twice against the little boy’s back. Right between his shoulder blades.

Soobin coughed and his airways were clear of whatever had gotten lodged in his throat. Minho rubbed circles on his back as he took deep breaths.

“That did not just happen…” Jisung was still frozen. It had all unfolded in a split second.

“Gosh bud…” Minho let out his own relieved breath. “You have to chew before you swallow!”

“Too big.” Soobin rasped, his eyes a little watery.

Minho sat him back in his chair.

“At least he’s excited about eating.” Minho tried to lighten the mood.

Jisung refilled Soobin’s cup with water so he could clear his throat completely.

“Goodness, you’re a walking disaster! Maybe I shouldn’t let you go on that hike.” Minho groaned.

“My heart-.” Jisung dramatically wilted as Soobin slurped his water, oblivious to the fear they had just been through.

He went to bed early, rain still coming down softly outside. Minho moved around the apartment a bit before he also went to bed. Jisung was stuck working on his school assignments and work assignments.

The later and later it got, the more he felt anxiety clawing its way to the surface. He had never been good with deadlines and the ones he was working for were too close for comfort.

He felt like he was spinning out of control trying to manage so many things at once.

He didn’t notice he was starting to tap on the table and breathe more heavily as he got more worked up. Soon, he could only think over and over that he was failing.

He was jolted out of his mindset by a gentle hand on his shoulder. Minho had come up to him at some point but he hadn’t even noticed.

Jisung pressed his hand to his chest, taking short breaths.

“Jisung? You okay?” Minho asked.

“T-Too much-.” Jisung whimpered. “I can’t do it-.”

“Woah, it’s okay.” Minho gentle turned him to face away from his work. “What’s going on?”

“Can’t get it done-.” Jisung gasped, shaking his hands frantically.

“You’re really freaking out honey.” Minho used the same soft tone of voice he used to calm Soobin down. “Wind down with me, okay? Take a deep breath.”

Jisung clenched his hands into fists and forced himself to slow his breathing.

“There you go. You’re doing just fine.” Minho stayed kneeling in front of him.

“S-Sorry- I-I-.”

“It’s okay, you don’t need to say anything.” Minho patted his thigh and slipped his other hand into Jisung’s.

“D-Didn’t mean to f-freak out-.” Jisung gasped.

“You poor thing!” Minho smiled but it was the empathetic kind. “I didn’t know you were freaking out in here! You should have called me!”

“J-Just got o-overwhelmed-.” Jisung pressed his hand to his forehead and took a deep breath.

“Come here.” Minho sat on the couch and pulled Jisung onto his lap.

He was probably way too big to lay on Minho like Soobin did, but it didn’t matter. It was a habit of years.

“I’m sorry.” Minho apologized again even though Jisung felt like he was the one who should apologize. “I should have made sure you came to bed with me.”

“No… I’m not actually d-done.” Jisung lay his head on Minho’s shoulder.

“You’re done for the night. Because I said so.” Minho wrapped his arms around Jisung’s waist. “You have to be gentle with yourself honey. Don’t push too hard.”

“It’s important and I have to do it.”

“You’re done for the night.” Minho was stern. “We can look at it in the morning and sort out what’s priority and what’s not.”

Jisung wanted to argue a tiny bit, but Minho was making him feel so soft and warm. He was melting into a sleepy puddle into his arms. He vaguely wondered if this is how Soobin felt when his eyes would start to close and he sagged tiredly in Minho’s hugs.

“I don’t know what I’m doing…” Jisung whispered.

“Hey…” Minho reached up to tuck his hair behind his ear. “We all have rough spots. Sometimes it feels like a rough year, but I know you can figure it out.”

“Can you figure it out for me?”

“No silly.” Minho laughed. “But I’ll help you. I’m here whenever you need.”

“It’s hard to be optimistic when I feel so worthless.” Jisung murmured.

“Oh honey, you’re so far from worthless that word has no meaning around you.” Minho quickly corrected him. “Remember all the times you’ve been doing amazing and use those to keep you going.”

“Mmm…” Jisung sighed, incredibly sleepy all of the sudden. “You called me honey. You only call Soobin that.”

“Oops, it’s a habit!” Minho shrugged. “I’ll stop.”

“No I like it.” Jisung replied. He felt so fuzzy and tired he could drift off right there on the couch. “I like it so much…”

“Oh really?” Jisung could tell from his tone that he found it amusing. “Why do you like it?”

“Makes me feel small. But the kind of small where I don’t have to worry about myself. Like Soobin…” Jisung explained.

“You just like being babied.” Minho teased.

“I only like being small around you.” Jisung rubbed his face against his shoulder. “It’s awful around other people.”

Jisung often felt lost and confused, like he was so small he could be swept away. A lot of his anxiety came from feeling lost around other people. With Minho, he trusted him enough to take control and not make Jisung feel even smaller and more helpless.

“You’re not small.” Minho spoke up, confirming his internal thoughts. “You’re so very big Jisung. You just think you’re small.”

“Everyone else is so much better than me.”

“They aren’t better at being Jisung.” Minho replied boldly. “No one is better at being Jisung than you, and that’s all you have to worry about.”

“I don’t like me.”

“I’ll make you like yourself.” Minho answered stubbornly. “You’re fantastic and I won’t stop until you see it. I’ll baby the crap out of you so you can blow everyone away with how big you are.”

Jisung giggled slightly at the thought.

“But first I want you to rest. You’ve been working too hard and need a break.”

“I have my big event this weekend… Did you still want to come?” Jisung was reminded to double check if Minho was still coming.

“Of course!” Minho replied. “Wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

“Maybe I should sleep before then.”

“You should.”

Minho stood up and half supported, half carried Jisung to the bedroom and tucked him into bed.

Jisung curled up with his plushie that he refused to give up even though he was technically an adult. He felt tiredness settle in his body like it always did after a harsh meltdown.

It was comforting to know Minho was there with him to make sure everything would be okay.

On the weekend, Jisung had his big event. It was like a mixer but for many people in the music industry. Some of the people Jisung worked with would be there since they had presented their work over the past few month.

Jisung was expected to have a date so he asked if family was okay. But instead of bringing Hyunjin or Jeongin, he decided to bring Minho.

Minho had tried to set Soobin up with a babysitter, but all the plans fell through until Jisung decided it would be best to just take him along. He honestly preferred it that way. Soobin was a child, but he was a comfort to him all the same.

“You look so handsome!” Jisung gave Soobin a hug when Minho deposited him on the bathroom counter.

He had a warm grey sweater on and black pants. They weren’t really sure how to dress him up other than that.

“Should I do something to his hair?” Minho contemplated.

“I think it’s perfect.” Jisung retrieved a comb to brush through it. His wavy chestnut hair was getting a little long but nothing bothersome yet. He just looked more like fluffy puppy.

“You have to listen to everything daddy says tonight.” Minho reminded Soobin. “It’s very important so we have to be on good behavior, okay?”

“I will be good!” Soobin took the comb from Jisung’s hands and clumsily tried to drag it through his hair.

“I know you’ll be good.” Jisung tapped his nose.

He really was. When they arrived at the event, Soobin was on his best behavior, letting Minho or Jisung tug him this way or that and following along with whatever was happening even though it wasn’t really fun for him.

Jisung felt a swell of pride erupt in his chest as Minho greeted people. He looked especially handsome even in his casual button up shirt and black jeans. Maybe it was just in Jisung’s eyes, but he seemed to glow more because of the little boy holding his hand.

Everyone wanted to greet Soobin and pat his head or brush their fingers over his dimples. He tugged his hand out of Minho’s grasp and ran to Jisung. More people chatted with him and asked him questions about him or Soobin as the evening stretched on. Jisung was bursting with happiness getting to show off the two people he loved so much.

Until the million-dollar question was asked.

“Is he yours?” someone asked him.

Soobin leaned his head on Jisung’s shoulder, comfortable to relax in his arms. Jisung wasn’t sure what to respond for a moment. It gave the appearance that Soobin was his because of how much Soobin clung to him.

“He’s both of ours actually.”

Jisung glanced over in surprise to see Minho standing beside him. He nodded and slid his hands into his pockets comfortably.

“Oh, is he adopted then?” someone else followed up.

Jisung stared at Minho, Soobin still nestled in his arms. He had always thought of Soobin as his internally but really, he was Minho’s baby. Jisung technically didn’t have any rights to him. That was why he was so shocked by Minho announcing to other people that Soobin was… his.

Minho raised his eyebrow and nodded at Jisung to answer the second question.

“U-uh yes- yes. He’s adopted.” Jisung snapped his eyes back and adjusted Soobin slightly. “And he’s… ours.”

“That’s so sweet.” they reached out and patted Soobin’s back. “He’s being raised well.”

Jisung allowed himself to smile, feeling proud of Soobin and the journey they had come along since Minho brought him home from the hospital in his carrier.

His fingers and toes had been so small then. Jisung had been in awe of how he fit in one arm. Of course, he always held him with two arms for the utmost care. He lifted Soobin’s hand and pressed a kiss to the fingers that were still small because he was still only a baby human, especially in Jisung’s eyes.

Minho caught his eye and shared a smile with him.

Jisung remembered how he had switched shifts with Minho when Soobin was still a baby. Whether it was feeding, or sleeping, or just holding. Jisung had cried a few times just holding him because he was so soft and delicate. Precious in his eyes.

“You’re still precious to me.” Jisung murmured against Soobin’s cheek and hugged him closer.

“So Jisung, have you made any decisions about moving closer to the studios? We would love to have you out here more than once a week.”

“Um…” Jisung stalled in answering. “Still thinking about options…”

It was hard to drive literally hours to the studios on the weekend when he could be more productive going often. He hoped for more projects as well.

“I’m definitely keeping it in mind.” he closed the conversation.

Luckily, he wasn’t asked about it again for the rest of the night.

“Did you have a good time tonight?” Minho asked as they drove home.

“Yeah. I’m really grateful you came.” Jisung smiled down at his hands in his lap.

“Well of course.” Minho laughed a little. “What kind of jerk would I be if I didn’t take time to celebrate you?”

Jisung was comforted by the thought that Minho cared that he had a good time.

“Thank you for… what you said earlier.” Jisung said softly.

“What did I say?” Minho frowned.

“Just- saying that Soobin was mine. Or ours.” Jisung was glad Minho couldn’t see his embarrassed blush in the dark. “It meant a lot to me.”

“Well I meant it.” Minho replied seriously. “You’re technically his dad too.”

“Technically…” Jisung murmured.

“You are.”

Jisung stretched his arms out in front of himself with barely contained happiness and then let them drop with a laugh.

“I remember you were the only one who supported my decision to adopt Soobin from the beginning.” Minho reminisced. “Even my dad and mom had their doubts and warned me to think through things carefully. You just seemed to know.”

“If you didn’t ask Minji for him than he wouldn’t have even had a chance at life.” Jisung glanced in the rearview mirror to see Soobin asleep in his carseat.

“You did think I was crazy for a little minute in the beginning.” Minho teased.

“Yeah, it’s not every day you decide to adopt an unborn child!” Jisung shot back.

“True… but if I hadn’t begged Minji to keep the baby then he wouldn’t even be alive.” Minho said with underlying emotion.

Jisung turned his head back to look at Soobin, his cheek smooshed against the side of the carseat.

Minho had really barely known Soobin’s mother. Other than going to school together and working together, they had no outside relationship. Until she had let Minho know she was pregnant and her boyfriend had no interest in raising a child.

Jisung had expected Minho to be sad but then move on. Instead, he had fought long and hard for Minji to go through with the pregnancy to have Soobin. From what Jisung knew, Minji wanted her baby to be saved, but she faced a lot of pressure from her boyfriend to end things immediately.

In the end, Soobin was a little miracle passed on to Minho. Minho had been there since day one. He took Soobin home and raised him as his own even though his friends and family had been wary at times.

“Don’t make me cry.” Jisung said weakly. He stretched his arm back to touch Soobin’s cheek, still chubby and soft as a baby.

“He’s here with us.” Minho smiled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can anyone guess what I have in store for this story? Now we have finished the setup, I will get right into the good stuff! Of course, this story is pretty mild and sweet, but there will be some tearjerker moment I am already feeling guilty writing hehe! 
> 
> That's all for now! Gotta go edit my other two ongoing stories to post as well!


	3. Minho

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! I'm posting this because it was the more popular option since I was debating two story paths! I'm sorry for being a little random to spring it on you all of a sudden, but I just really wanted this to be enjoyable to read! I'm being really weird with the schedule rn since I obviously posted so much this week but... I posted this chapter so I could hopefully get some feedback. It's like a test chapter to make sure everyone likes it! I really wanted to add more interactions between Chan's family and Minho's family, but for now I will have them visit often instead of living together. This chapter is pretty mild and soft. Just setup still oops!

There was one person Minho trusted more than anyone in the world. There were lots of people he loved and trusted, but no one compared to the person he had been through everything with.

“I was thinking a lot about what preschool Soobin will go to next year.” Minho told him.

“Oh yeah? Did you find any you liked?”

“Yeah but… they’re kinda far.”

“Far?” Chan frowned, handing Minho a bowl of ice cream. “Why did you look at ones that were far?”

“I was just thinking.” Minho shrugged. “They’re by Jisung’s studio so I looked at the area.”

“Oh, well I guess you could always decide if you want to take that drive.” Chan didn’t seem too phased by it. “It depends on how well you like the school.”

“No talking about school on a movie night!” Seungmin slid into the kitchen in his socks. Felix attempted to come in the same way and Soobin just ran in, swinging his arms fast to keep up with the older boys.

“Woah there!” Chan laughed and draped his arms over Felix’s shoulders.

“Thanks!’ Seungmin grabbed his bowl of ice cream.

“Mine! Mine!” Soobin bounced up and down and tugged on Minho’s shirt to get his bowl from him.

“Hold on bud! The word please still exists.” Minho scolded him lightly.

“Not for this one apparently.” Chan shook his head at Felix who also grabbed his bowl and ran off.

Soobin yanked hard on Minho’s shirt to get him to hurry up. Minho stuck a spoon in his bowl and handed it over.

“Hey-.” Minho caught his arm and looked into his eyes. “No running with that in your hands, okay?”

“Kay!” Seungmin nodded and then proceeded to run out of the kitchen.

“Goodness, I swear I’m not raising an animal.” Minho groaned.

“He’s just excited.” Chan laughed. “He’s trying to keep up with those other rowdy boys.”

“Anyways- I was actually going to talk about something more important.” Minho leaned back against the counter.

“Would this maybe be about moving?” Chan raised an eyebrow.

“How did you know?” Minho gasped.

“I know Jisung has wanted it for a while, and you _have_ been in that apartment for a while.” Chan smiled. “I thought you would get on it soon.”

“I was actually thinking about… the money I saved for a house. And have been saving for a while. Do you think now would be a good time to go for it?”

“You wanted to buy once you were done with college, right? You have a steady, well-paying job and it would be good to start paying off a mortgage now.” Chan nodded. “If you’re ready then you should start looking.”

“It just feels like a big step. Am I ready? I’ve thought about moving but… a house?” Minho laughed hesitantly.

“I think you’re ready.” Chan smiled encouragingly. “You could use some more space and it’s not really saving you money or investment to hop to a new apartment.”

“I’ll keep you updated as I start looking. I will probably look around Jisung’s studio area and the preschools I had liked for Soobin.”

“Sounds good.” Chan slung his arm around Minho’s shoulders. “Now let’s go be with our boys.”

Minho pulled Felix onto his lap because Soobin would rather cuddle with Chan. He didn’t pay much attention to the movie they had on. He was caught up in his own thoughts about the future while rubbing Felix’s back.

When it was time to go, Soobin was half asleep.

“I miss having a baby.” Chan carried Soobin to the car for Minho. He looked so small in Chan’s arms. “So cuddly.”

“He’s my cuddle monster.” Minho pressed a kiss to his forehead as he transferred him to his carseat.

“If you need anything, let me know okay?” Chan hugged him tightly.

“I will.” Minho murmured into his shoulder.

His talk with Chan really finalized him looking into buying a house. It took months, but finally, he found one that was perfect. It was in between Minho’s work and Jisung’s and very close to a few good preschools. The neighborhood was nice, and the house was in great condition. Minho signed the papers with only Chan and Ara knowing.

It was a thrilling moment to realize he had actually bought his first house. It was a major accomplishment.

Now, to tell Jisung.

Minho decided to just spring it on him after Soobin had gone to bed one night because he couldn’t think of any other way to share the news.

“I know you’re unhappy here.” Minho said boldly, getting straight to the point.

“W-Why would you say that?” Minho caught the hesitation in Jisung’s voice. He looked up from the table in surprise.

“Your life is going on ahead without you and you’re still stuck here. I know it might be hard to admit, even for yourself, but this was only meant to be temporary.”

Jisung lowered his head. They both knew it was the truth. Jisung was ready to burst out of the nest and fly on his own. That meant being in a place where he had the space to.

“You’re ready to pursue your career! And you’re going to do amazing!” Minho sat down across from him.

“I know…” Jisung fiddled with his fingers. “I just don’t feel ready to go on my own yet.”

“Maybe you don’t have to.”

Jisung glanced at him with a confused expression.

“I did something I’ve been wanting to do for a long time but, it got buried with all my other responsibilities.” Minho told him. “I… bought a house.”

Jisung stared at him blankly for a long moment.

“A what?”

“A house. I bought a house!” a smile exploded onto his face with barely contained excitement. He pulled out his phone to show Jisung a photo.

“Oh my- did you really?” Jisung gasped.

“It’s closer to the studios and I’m already in the process of finalizing things so… we just have to move in!”

“We? You mean I get to come too?” Jisung pointed to himself.

“What kind of question is that?” Minho smacked his arm. “Of course you’re coming. I’m not leaving you here!”

Finally, Jisung seemed to fully understand what was happening.

“You got a house!” he jumped up, his chair scraping back against the floor.

Minho laughed as he jumped around excitedly, looking at the photo he had shown him.

“We’ll have to start packing so we can move in right away.”

“Move in…” Jisung beamed. “Yes! Let’s start packing now!”

“Hey, hold on!” Minho caught his arm before he could run off. “Wait until the morning at least! Soobin is sleeping.”

“Oh right. Let’s plan it out now though! Do you have more pictures?”

“I do.” Minho smiled and reached for his phone.

They stayed up way too late looking at photos and discussing all the things they needed to do. It was actually an extensive list, and would take some teamwork to accomplish.

Minho was incredibly busy the week after, their apartment slowly transforming into a sea of boxes. Soobin thought it was a blast. He was more excited about packing than actually moving.

“Your lunch is ready Soo…” Minho trailed off when he entered the living room.

Soobin was sitting on the floor with packing peanuts strewn around him. One of the boxes Minho had finished packing the night before was open, the tape pulled off.

“Oh gosh-.” Minho smacked his hand to his face.

Soobin looked at him innocently before reaching into the box for more foam pieces.

“Are you having fun undoing my hard work?” Minho made his way over, careful not to step on the foam and make a mess.

“Wahh!” Soobin grabbed a few handfuls and threw them in the air.

“You’re too cute for me to be mad at you.” Minho sighed. “But let’s curb this habit.”

Soobin threw a piece at him and laughed when it bounced off his shoulder.

“Okay, new game! Put all the little peanuts back in the box!” Minho said enthusiastically and modeled for him.

Of course, Soobin decided it would be more fun to do the opposite. Every time Minho put some peanuts in, he would pull some out.

“I don’t think you understand.” Minho snatched Soobin up and carried him under his arm to the kitchen. He plopped him down in his chair and gave him his lunch.

“Give them to me.” Minho held his hand out for the foam that Soobin had clutched in both hands.

“No!” Soobin shrieked, thinking it was a game and holding them tighter.

“Soobin…” Minho used his warning tone.

“They’re mine.” Soobin turned puppy dog eyes back on him.

“Put them on the table while you eat then.” Minho compromised.

Soobin gave in and set them in a little pile so he could eat his sandwich.

Minho returned to the living room and repacked the box he had opened quickly.

“I’m home!”

It was a bit early for Jisung to be home from class so Minho was surprised. Soobin squealed, laughing at Jisung probably tickling him.

“I brought some more boxes and tape.” Jisung joined Minho in the living room. “Wanna tackle the bedroom now?”

“Sure.” Minho nodded. “Did your class end early?”

“It was a test so I finished it in half of the time period and then got out early.” Jisung nodded.

Minho went with Jisung into Soobin’s room first to pack up the rest of his toys. It was strange to see all the rooms so bare.

After a little while, Minho heard Soobin banging on the table to be put down so he went to release him. The little boy wandered into his room where they were working for a bit and then left.

Minho was taping up a box with Jisung’s help when he suddenly stopped.

“What?” Jisung asked.

Minho tilted his head and sure enough heard the sound of tape being ripped off of cardboard. He groaned and stood, jogging out of the room to find Soobin.

“What are you doing bunny?” Soobin was elbow deep in the box, trying to get more peanuts. As soon as he saw Minho, he started yanking them out as fast as possible, trying to get as much mischief done before Minho could stop him.

Minho caught him quickly and whisked him away again, making a note to put the box out of reach. He smacked Soobin’s bottom playfully and set him down next to Jisung.

“We’re using newspaper to pack from now on.” he informed him.

Soobin uncurled his hands and a few peanuts dropped out onto Jisung’s lap.

“I see…” Jisung smirked.

“You wish I would pack _you_ up in a box with all those pieces of foam, huh?” Minho teased, tickling Soobin lightly.

“He is squishy enough…” Jisung joined in on poking his tummy tickling his sides.

Soobin wiggled around, laughing.

“He’ll get his own new room.” Minho thought out loud.

“Yay!” Soobin had already been to see the house, but it was pretty bare. The moving trucks were picking all their stuff up the next day.

“Alright, let’s get this finished tonight!”

It was a long two weeks settling into their new house. They had a lot of help from both Minho’s family and Jisung’s family in the unpacking and settling in process. Finally, their house felt like a real home.

Soobin’s favorite part was the backyard. They had some empty planters, so Minho promised him they would work on a garden, and he had plenty of space to run around on the grass.

“Gosh! Not another pair…” Minho groaned at Soobin’s grass stained knees.

“Dinner time?” Soobin asked, rubbing his hand across his nose.

“Yes but- wash up first.” Minho moved his stepstool over so he could wash his hands in the sink. The kitchen had a nice view of the backyard so Minho could keep an eye on Soobin while doing things in the house.

“Jisung! Time for dinner!” Minho called to him upstairs.

They had converted one of the empty rooms into a studio, work zone for Jisung.

“Coming!”

“How did you get so dirty so fast?” Minho rolled up Soobin’s sleeves which were a little dirty so they were out of his way while eating. His trousers had grass stains and even his socks looked dusty.

“I’m an archapologist.” Soobin told Minho solemnly as he was placed in his seat. Minho had discarded his high chair, deciding it was time to be done with it even if it was helpful.

“Archeologist.” Minho corrected.

“Archapologist.” Soobin nodded once. “I am digging for dinosaur bones in the backyard.”

“Wow! Let me know if you find any.” Minho grinned.

“What am I hearing about dinosaur bones?” Jisung entered the room and took his seat next to Soobin.

“I’m digging them.” Soobin repeated. “I will give you one when I find it. Maybe…”

Jisung rumpled his hair and smiled fondly at him.

It was nice to be able to relax and have dinner in their own house. No apartment neighbors being loud on either side. They had their own space.

Soobin absolutely loved playing in the house and outside. It was great for him and Minho.

“In ya go.” Minho deposited Soobin in the bath after dinner.

Soobin loved bath time. He could sit in the bath for hours until he became a prune.

“Hey Minho.” Jisung popped his head in. “Can you get a few things for me at the store tomorrow?”

“Yeah, just text them to me.” Minho nodded.

“Thanks!” Jisung ducked out again.

“A shark is coming… ahh!” Soobin smacked his hand down on the water, splashing it over the side.

“Woah! Keep the water in the ocean bud.” Minho smiled at his imagination.

“My fishy isn’t working.” Soobin pouted and held up his water toy for Minho.

Minho wound it up and set it back in the bath so it could motor around.

Seungmin leaned his head down so he could blow bubbles in the water like a fish.

“What am I going to do with you?” Minho squeezed him tightly as he wrapped him in a soft towel. “You’re my baby.”

“Not baby!” Soobin argued.

“A squishy baby bunny.” Minho teased, pressing kisses all over his face.

Minho sometimes felt he could explode with how much love he had for Soobin. He was so lucky to have him. He had never expected him, but there he was. He just fell into his life and captured Minho’s heart since he was just a tiny little thing.

The next day, Minho had a free day, so he spent it all with Soobin.

“You’re too cute, you know that?” Minho asked Soobin as he sat on the step with watermelon juice dripping down his arm onto his white sleeve.

He looked up at Minho innocently, having to push up his bucket hat with his free hand.

“I’m so glad I got to have you.” Minho pressed a kiss against his cheek, knocking his hat askew again.

It was nice having time to just relax and enjoy the sunshine and fresh air. Soobin enjoyed gardening and was generally a good sport about it. He had a limit to how long he could play outside without getting bored, but luckily it was quite long.

“Daddy!” Soobin gasped, freezing in place.

“It’s okay.” Minho laughed. “It’s just a caterpillar.”

“A worm.” Soobin looked at the caterpillar by his foot and shivered.

“It’s not a worm. It’s a baby butterfly.” Minho laughed and patted his head.

“I don’t like it.” Soobin said quietly.

“He’s a good creature.” Minho crouched down and picked it up. Soobin cringed away. “He belongs in the garden though.”

Minho returned the caterpillar to his planter. Soobin relaxed again, taking a bite of his watermelon.

“Do you want to come to the store with me?”

It was a hypothetical question. Minho would have to bring him regardless because Jisung wasn’t home, but he knew Soobin would say yes. He loved going out. He was very adventurous.

He kept Soobin in his gardening clothes just because they were cute. He was precious in overalls and his tiny boots.

It felt like a fun outing rather than a task going to the store with Soobin.

“Can you get me the orange cheese?” Minho asked Soobin.

He liked to engage Soobin in tasks so he would learn but also wouldn’t get bored.

“Here!” Soobin retrieved it from the freezer shelf and dropped it in their cart.

“Look at you.” Minho praised him. “Thanks for being a helper.”

“Can we get gummies?” Soobin asked.

“I think they’re in the next…” Minho looked up and froze.

Standing in the aisle in front of them was the last person he had expected to see. Minji stared back at them, her eyes focused on Soobin.

“Daddy?” Soobin tugged on the bottom of Minho’s sweater, oblivious to what was happening.

“Uh… yeah that’s fine.” Minho murmured.

Minji continued staring at Soobin. Minho didn’t know what to do.

Minji was right there. He hadn’t seen her in ages. Maybe she lived nearby?

“Hey.” Minho broke the ice. “I-It’s good to see you.”

“Ah… yes- I don’t usually go to this store.” Minji responded without tearing her eyes from Soobin.

“Um… We were just grocery shopping.” Minho reached down and captured Soobin’s hand in his own. Soobin tilted his head at Minji curiously.

“He’s… so big.” Minji said quietly, taking a step forward.

“He is.” Minho watched her face as she stopped herself from coming any closer.

“W-What’s his name?” Minji asked. He realized she had never known what Minho named him.

“Soobin.” Minho swayed their joined hands slightly back and forth.

“That’s a beautiful name.” Minji smiled slightly.

“Can you wave hello?” Minho asked Soobin.

He raised his small hand and waved at her and then promptly tucked his face against Minho’s thigh. He was very shy with strangers.

“He looks like he’s growing up just fine.” Minji murmured.

Minho nodded, not sure what to do in this situation. When he had adopted Soobin, Minji had chosen to make it a closed adoption even though Minho was open to other options. Meeting now was untested ground.

“I’m sorry.” Minji cut the moment short. “I-I should probably go… but thank you.”

Her eyes met Minho’s and it was like they were back in college, a younger version of him promising he would take care of her baby.

“Of course.” Minho inclined his head.

As she left, she mouthed two words back at him.

_Thank you._

The interaction left Minho a little shaken. He felt stunned as they walked out of the store and headed home. Soobin didn’t know anything was different.

Minho had told Soobin he was adopted but it was only mentions here and there since his little mind didn’t fully understand. One day he would tell him the full story.

He was so distracted, Soobin started to get impatient with him when they were back at home.

“Daddy!” Soobin whined. “I- wanna- go- out- side-.” he bounced in place on every syllable and Minho sensed a tantrum coming on.

“No more outside time today. It’s getting dark.” Minho told him no.

Soobin let out a few distressed huffs and crumpled down to the floor. Minho was sitting on the couch in the living room so Soobin could lay down on the carpet without hurting himself. He took advantage of the fact, wiggling around in frustration.

When Minho didn’t pay attention, he kicked Minho’s legs with his feet.

“Don’t kick.” Minho warned.

Soobin just kicked harder, whining again.

“Do you want to go play toys in your room?”

“Outside!” Soobin shouted.

“Sorry honey, not today.” Minho sighed.

Soobin continued throwing his fit until Minho sat him in time out. He stood in the kitchen, replaying what had happened with Minji for a while, still shocked.

After a while, he snapped out of it and went back to check on Soobin.

“Alright Soobin, let’s-.”

Soobin turned to look at him, a marker in his hand. There were scribbled drawings all over the wall and it looked like Soobin had tried to draw on his face too.

“What are you doing?” Minho’s voice punched out a bit forcefully.

“Drawing…” Soobin murmured, curling in on himself a little bit. He knew he wasn’t supposed to draw on the walls.

“That’s a no-no!” Minho confiscated his markers. “This will take forever to wash off! If I even can wash it off!”

“Sorry…” Soobin looked up at him pitifully.

Minho gritted his teeth. He couldn’t get out of it by trying to act cute. Minho was angry.

“You’re going to have a very long timeout. In my room.” Minho picked him up and carried him into his room. “No touching anything.”

Soobin looked so pitiful sitting on Minho’s bed, but he was at the end of his patience.

“You’re in timeout.” Minho added again so it was very clear and then left the room. He left the door cracked open just because he didn’t want Soobin to feel trapped.

He didn’t even hear the door open or Jisung come in because he was so busy assessing the damage done and fuming to himself.

When he came out to get something to clean the walls, he realized Jisung was there.

“I brought home these cute candies for Soobin!” Jisung showed him.

“Don’t give them to him now, he’s being naughty.” Minho sighed.

“Oh no, what now?”

“You don’t even want to know.” Minho sighed. “It’s not really a big tantrum. Not like he’s had, but I’m just not in the mental state today.”

“Want me to make dinner tonight?” Jisung asked.

“Honestly, that would be great.”

Minho sat at the kitchen table and rested his head in his hands, so tired. He honestly forgot about Soobin a little bit, but was reminded when the little boy came to find him.

“I’m sorry…”

Minho raised his head to see Soobin standing hesitantly near the entryway.

“Come here honey.” Minho motioned him over.

“I did a bad thing.” Soobin said sadly.

Minho looked at his face for a moment and then had to let out a tired laugh. Soobin frowned and tilted his head in confusion.

“Why are you laughing?”

“Just turn and look at Jisung.” Minho shook his head and sighed.

Soobin looked at Jisung curiously, who tried to hold back a laugh.

He had scribbled on his face, Minho wasn’t sure why, but it was kind of hilarious. Mostly adorable though.

“I shouldn’t laugh.” Minho turned Soobin back towards him. “I think you know what you did was naughty, right?”

Soobin nodded his head seriously.

“Will you do it again?” Minho asked.

“No. I won’t” Soobin placed his hand on his heart like a promise.

“Thank you.” Minho nodded once. “Daddy’s sorry too for getting angry and… forgetting you in timeout.”

“It’s okay!” Soobin didn’t seem to mind, becoming cheery again.

Minho took him to the bathroom to wash his face off. He was gentle as he dragged a warm washcloth over his face and wiped away the marks.

“I love you daddy.” Soobin said suddenly.

“Love you too bunny.”

Minho felt bad about being short with Soobin and being so zoned out after their run in with Minji. He just gave Soobin a big hug and took his time reading him his bedtime story. When he was done, he went to Jisung who was laying on the couch watching TV. He had a blanket pulled over him and looked cozy.

Minho pulled the blanket off of him and pushed his knees apart so he could lay down on top of him. He wrapped his arms around his waist and lay his chest on Jisung’s stomach, laying mostly on top of him.

He rarely cuddled Jisung, but when he did it was the best. He pulled the blanket over them again, resting his head against Jisung’s chest and looking at the movie. Jisung’s hand drifted down to run through his hair gently.

Minho closed his eyes and slipped into the rhythm of Jisung’s breathing up and down.

“Did you have a bad day?” Jisung asked quietly.

Minho nodded against him.

“What happened?” Jisung asked, sliding his fingertips down his scalp.

“I’m a terrible dad.” Minho murmured, opening his eyes and staring blankly at the TV.

“Lies.” Jisung countered him. “You just had a rough day.”

“I’m tired of all the struggles.” Minho sighed. “I make a lot of mistakes… and I’m just tired all the time. Tired of making mistakes mostly, but also worn down because it’s so much work.”

“I’m sorry.” Jisung shifted, rubbing his back slightly. “Even though it’s hard, you’re doing a good job.

“Thanks.” Minho needed the encouragement.

Jisung rubbed his warm hand over the back of his neck.

“Even on your worst day, any kid would be lucky to have you as a dad.” he replied.

Minho opened his mouth to respond but he was cut off by Soobin padding into the room.

“Daddy…” In the dim light of the TV, Minho could see him rubbing his eyes with one hand, the other holding his puppy plushie.

“I’ll get him.” Jisung tried to sit up but Minho beat him to it.

“It’s okay. I got him.” Minho slid off of the couch and went to Soobin.

“I’m lonely.” Soobin reached up for him. He must have woken up to Minho being gone.

“Let’s go back to bed.” Minho tucked him into his bed and slipped under the covers next to him. He was soft and warm, fitting perfectly against Minho as they cuddled in his room with glow in the dark star stickers stuck on the ceiling.

Soobin was only going to be little for so long. Minho wanted to soak up every moment of it. He breathed in Soobin’s clean, sweet scent and rested his cheek on his soft hair. In Minho’s eyes, he was perfect. Even with the meltdowns and tears, he was still perfect.

He fell asleep cuddling Soobin against his chest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really went crazy making Soobin the cutest ever (or hopefully so) because he's just adorable even in real life! Also woohoo! They got a house which means Yeonjun is coming!! Sorry it's taking forever, there will be some angst first because I am trying to make it realistic! Much love as always! Thanks for supporting me even if the story is unconventional! Now please- spam me with lovely Minsung comments to warm my heart because you all are right, they are the most epic platonic soulmates!<3


	4. Jisung

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back on schedule! I double posted last week, but now I’m back on my Tuesday schedule! This chapter is a lot of character interactions, a lot of dialogue, way too much emotion, and a ton of love! I had so much fun writing this one because it dives deep into the legit struggles we all have trying to make relationships work! I did from Jisung’s perspective first but we will also have some Minho development next chapter, and then… Yeonjun is finally arriving! I had a lot of setup I know! But this story was my testing board for a lot of things so here we are! Enjoy!
> 
> TW: Mild flashbacks

Jisung stared down at the third coffee mug he had unintentionally broken that month. Minho sighed as he messed with the shelf it had been on.

The cabinets in the new house were pretty old and gave them a lot of problems. Like the shelf falling down out of nowhere. Jisung was tired of the handles popping off or the shelves being wacky.

“I think this settles it.” Minho stepped back and rested his hands on his waist.

“No more cups on that shelf?”

“Yes, that too, but it’s time for me to just redo all the cabinets.” Minho answered. “It’s not worth trying to keep them.”

“That’s a big project.” Jisung surveyed all the cabinets.

“I have some free time.” Minho shrugged. “It will be my project of the year.”

“Hopefully it won’t take a year.” Jisung rolled his eyes.

Minho smacked him lightly at his comment.

Minho actually was pretty good at fixing things, but all new cabinets was a big jump for him.

Over the next week or so, he worked on measuring, buying tools and supplies, and setting up a workspace in the garage.

“Looking good.” Jisung said as he entered the garage to pull the car out to go to work.

“Trying…” Minho sifted through his tools on his workbench.

“I can pick up anything you need after work.” Jisung offered. “Just text me. And maybe send a picture too.”

“Actually, could you buy two big pots? My dad and the boys are coming over on the weekend and Soobin really wants to finish up the garden for them.”

“Got it.” Jisung waved as he walked away. “I’ll be back soon.”

He picked up the pots after work but they didn’t get started on working on the garden until the next day. Minho and Soobin were incredibly focused when they came to the garden. They practically worked on it all day.

“Hey honey. Do you want something to drink?”

Soobin nodded, pointing at his throat dramatically and then dusting his dirty hands off onto the floor. Jisung let it slide.

He gulped down the water noisily and then handed his cup back to Jisung.

“Next time, I want juice.” Soobin informed him and then ran off again.

“I guess I’m the butler now…” Jisung laughed to himself.

Minho came in after him, raking back his sweaty hair and tugging his gloves off with his teeth.

“Ack!” Jisung backed up against the counter and pinched his nose to tease him. “You’re contaminating the kitchen!”

“Dork.” Minho smacked him with his glove and nudged him aside to get a glass of water.

“You’re gross. Get out.”

“Soobin is cute but I’m gross?” Minho scoffed. “I see you play favorites.”

“Yes, I definitely do.”

“Oh, where are those large pots by the way?” Minho asked.

“I stored them in the garage.” Jisung answered. “I’ll go get them.”

“Considering being nice to me now, huh?” Minho called after him. “Too bad! Soobin is my favorite too!”

Jisung rolled his eyes as he retrieved the pots. They were big enough to sit in the ground and hold some bushes Minho had bought when he was feeling extra. Minho and Soobin had finished digging the holes already. Soobin had mostly flung dirt everywhere while Minho dug.

“Your pots-.” Jisung grunted as he made his way down the back steps with the heavy, kind of awkward pots.

Soobin laughed and clapped, excited to put them in.

The moment never came because Jisung’s foot caught the edge of one of their planter and next thing he knew… the pots hit the ground.

“I’m sorry…” Jisung whispered, staring down at the broken pots.

“Woops!” Minho sighed and pulled Jisung’s arm to guide him away from the pottery shards.

Guilt hit Jisung instantly. The look of disappointment on Soobin’s face made him want to cry. All because he had been clumsy.

“I’m so sorry.” Jisung repeated again.

“It was an accident.” Minho nudged him gently. “Don’t worry.”

“Now you can’t get it done in time for tomorrow like you wanted.” Jisung said mournfully.

“It’s just two pots.” Minho waved it off. “I’ll get more later.”

“Still…” Jisung stepped around the pots and crouched to give Soobin a hug. “I’m sorry bunny.”

“It’s okay.” Soobin patted his back sweetly.

Jisung still couldn’t stop feeling guilty. He only had one job.

Minho cleaned up the pots and they headed in to eat dinner. As soon as Minho took Soobin to get washed up, Jisung grabbed his keys and his jacket, intent on fixing his mistake.

He drove down to the gardening store and managed to buy two more pots before they closed. He used his own money to buy them, not wanting to waste any more of Minho’s.

When he got home it was around Soobin’s bedtime. When Jisung stopped by his room to grab his warmer jacket, he heard Minho reading him a bedtime story.

Jisung headed outside and turned on the porch light. It was dim light since the pots were placed a little ways from the porch, but Jisung would make it work. He settled there in the damp earth and worked on fitting the pots into the holes they had dug. They were still a little shallow so he got to work widening and deepening them so the new pots would fit.

He worked for close to half an hour before he heard the screen door open.

“Jisung?” Minho called out as he crossed the yard to get to him.

Jisung grunted, digging his spade into the earth with purpose.

“You got more pots?” Minho stopped beside him.

“You’re blocking the light.” Jisung said in response. Minho moved aside.

“It’s night. Come inside. It doesn’t need to be done today.”

Jisung expected Minho to say that. He didn’t stop.

“Jisung.”

Jisung was determined. Whatever he put his mind to, he saw it through.

“Will you stop?” Minho crouched and grabbed his arm, stopping him from digging. “You seem very insane gardening at night.”

“I don’t care.” Jisung responded. “I want Soobin to have his complete garden tomorrow.”

Minho was quiet for a moment, still not letting him dig further.

“Jisung, you don’t have to fix your mistake like this. It was only an accident. And a small one too.” Minho said gently.

“I know.” Jisung bristled and pulled his arm away. “I’m doing it because I want to.”

He knew what Minho was thinking. Maybe it was true. Jisung had never been able to leave things be when he felt like it was his fault. He was a fixer.

“Okay.” Minho stood and stared down at him for a minute before heading inside.

Jisung finished the first hole and began to slot the pot into the ground.

As he was starting the second hole, Minho came back. He rolled up his sleeves, grabbed a spade and started working alongside Jisung.

Jisung frowned and looked at him curiously. No words were said. It was an unspoken communication. Minho would help him even if it was crazy and a little strange that he was determined to finish even though it was late.

Not to mention, Minho had already worked hard all day with Soobin. Jisung’s heart felt full realizing just how much Minho sacrificed for them.

They went to bed when it was finished, which was pretty late. Jisung felt content. He hoped Soobin would be happy with their work.

He slept in the next morning, missing when Soobin saw the finished garden, but came out of his room close to lunch time. Chan and the kids were already there.

“Hey sleepyhead.” Minho greeted him.

Chan and him were sitting at the kitchen table. Jisung could see the kids in the backyard.

“Minho tells me you’re an unconventional gardener.”

Chan looked at Jisung over the rim of his coffee mug, his eyes sparkling.

“Ah…” Jisung rubbed the back of his neck shyly. “It was for Soobin.”

He moved into the kitchen to pour himself a cup of coffee. He was sufficiently startled when the cupboard door swung down on one hinge.

“Oh that broke this morning.” Minho sighed. “I’ll try to fix it temporarily.”

It was a good thing Minho was already redoing the cabinets.

Jisung got his coffee and sat with Chan and Minho. They talked for a while about life. Just catching up and things.

Not too long after, the kids came in from the garden.

“Hey!” Minho snatched Soobin up in his arms as he ran into the kitchen. “Are you so excited you forgot what we do at the door?”

He took Soobin’s dirty shoes off and returned them to the entryway outside. Soobin ran to Felix, talking to him animatedly with sound effects and lots of gestures.

Jisung watched him fondly. He was such a sweet kid because he was usually shy and quiet, but once he was comfortable, his imagination was endless.

“Why don’t you go show them your room while I get it set up.” Minho tapped his shoulder. Soobin nodded and ran off, the two other boys trailing after him.

“They want to make smoothies.” Minho told Chan and Jisung. “Our blender is a little hot and cold sometimes so we’ll see how this goes.”

Jisung followed him into the kitchen and got out some fruit for them to use.

“This darn blender always gives me problems.” Minho grunted, wiggling the protective stop that was at the bottom.

“Oh the black part? You have to take it out to put the blades in.” Jisung told him.

“Well, I know _that_.” Minho rolled his eyes. “It just gets stuck.”

Jisung observed him trying with all his might to twist the piece forward.

“You’re doing it wrong, that’s why.”

“No I’m not. I’m taking it out!” Minho replied with a hint of exasperation.

“It won’t work if you keep jamming it further!” Jisung argued.

“Well you have to force it past the block so we can get it out!” Minho shot back.

“I told you, I know how to do it!” Jisung grabbed the base.

Minho pulled it away, insistent on being stubborn.

“You’ll just mess it up.” he grumbled.

“If you twist it the opposite way then it will wiggle loose.”

“That’s stupid.” Minho scoffed.

“Well your way obviously isn’t working!

“Logically, it should work if I can just mange it-.” Minho tried harder to twist it free.

“You’ll break it. My way-.”

“Your way is stupid! It doesn’t make any sense!”

“Hey-.”

They were both interrupted by Chan entering the kitchen. Minho huffed in frustration while Chan looked at the two of them for a moment.

“Did you just call Jisung stupid?”

Minho looked up in surprise. Chan lifted one eyebrow in response.

“I said his idea was stupid.”

“Hmm, that seems awfully close to calling him stupid.” Chan frowned.

Minho glanced at Jisung and then back at Chan. Jisung felt a tiny spark of warmth when he realized Chan was defending him.

“Give it to me.”

Minho handed the blender over to Chan. He set it down on the counter and then put both hands on the counter beside it. He looked at the two of them seriously.

“I’ll say this for both of you.” Chan nodded in their respective directions.

Jisung leaned back against the counter, his hands gripping it behind him.

“It’s just a blender.” Chan smiled at that. “But you two- you’re partners, right?”

Minho lowered his head. Jisung bit his lip.

“Minho. I don’t ever want to hear you talking to Jisung like that again.” Chan sounded serious again. “You don’t ever tear down someone you love. Even if it’s over something as small as a blender.”

Jisung’s heart fluttered in his chest, slightly intimidated, but mostly in awe of Chan dropping serious dad knowledge on them.

“Jisung. This one can be stubborn.” Chan gestured to Minho. “But it’s because he wants to be competent which is one of the best qualities to have. Am I right?”

Minho nodded once while looking away still. Jisung nodded as well.

“Let him have some slack in this area. He needs help sometimes, but be gentle when you come in.” Chan looked directly into his eyes. “He’s attentive to how you treat him even if it doesn’t always seem that way.”

Jisung nodded solemnly. Chan’s words hit deep.

“Minho.” Chan returned to him. “Let Jisung try to fix it. If you can’t fix it. Call it a day.”

He handed the blender off to Jisung and then left the kitchen. Minho stayed silent behind him as he twisted in reverse. Sure enough, the little piece wiggled free enough to remove it.

Jisung set it back on the counter, not sure how Minho was feeling. He didn’t want him to feel bad.

It was silent for a moment before Minho suddenly surged forward and hugged Jisung tightly.

“I’m stupid.” he said. “You were right. I should have listened to you. I’m sorry.”

“No.” Jisung quickly responded. “You aren’t stupid. And I’m sorry too.”

“Forgive me?” Minho drew back to look at him.

“Of course. And me?”

“Of course.”

Jisung grinned and hugged Minho again just for the heck of it.

“Your dad can be awesomely scary.” he said.

“Yeah, imagine how scary he was when he found out I was bullying you way back in middle school.” Minho laughed.

“You didn’t bully me!”

“Jisung. How many times did you ask me to be your friend? How many times did I use you to hold my bags or buy me milk?”

“Water under the bridge.” Jisung waved it away. “I barely even remember.”

“Hey-.” Minho caught his arm before he could leave the kitchen. He turned serious again. “If I ever mistreat you, you have to say something. I don’t always know but I never want to do it on purpose.”

“I will.” Jisung whispered, amazed at how sincere Minho was.

“Love you weirdo.” Minho poked his forehead with his finger.

Jisung gritted his teeth and frowned at him, rubbing his forehead. He would be a drama queen whenever he could be.

“You’re weirder.” he grumbled as he walked away.

The kids made their smoothies and had the time of their lives watching the fruit whir around inside. Soobin made adorable sound effects when the blender wasn’t running.

They stayed until late in the evening.

Minho and Chan worked in the garage for a little bit on the new cabinets. Minho had set up his work bench there and was starting to gather supplies and tools that he needed.

Jisung liked having him do his thing. It was hard to explain, but it reminded him of Changbin or Chan. He felt protected having someone capable in the household to get things done. He would never admit it though.

Once they had all left, Jisung took over Soobin duty and got him washed up, teeth brushed, and tucked into bed. Then he headed into the garage where Minho was hard at work.

He had made a lot measurements because everything in the house was custom. It made it a little harder, but it would be nicer in the end. He seemed to be working on hinges when Jisung came in.

“How’s it going”

“Um… I don’t really know why but one hinge isn’t managing to sit flush.” Minho frowned. Jisung had no idea what he meant but nodded along.

“Tomorrow I’ll be gone in the morning. I’m going to see my family for a bit and then I’ll be back.” Jisung ran his finger along the edge of one of his tools. “Do you want to do something afterwards? I know Soobin will be with your mom for the evening.”

“Yeah I was hoping you would want to do something.” Minho smiled. “It’s rare we get some free time.”

Jisung laughed. Parenting was a full-time job.

“Don’t stay up too late.” Jisung told him before heading inside himself.

“Goodnight!” Minho called back.

When Jisung woke up in the morning, he felt off. The first thing in his mind was his uncomfortably vivid dream. It had been a long time since he had a dream of his past.

He tried to shake it off as he got ready for his day.

Changbin had invited Jisung over partially because he missed him, but also because it was an anniversary of sorts. It was the day Jisung had first been placed with Changbin.

Usually, they celebrated his adoption day, but Changbin always checked in on him for his placement day. It was a day Jisung had mostly pushed back into his memories until it was hazy. It was a day his biological dad had lost custody which meant a major event had taken place to get social services involved.

Jisung usually didn’t dwell on it much, but today for some reason he couldn’t stop thinking.

Being with his family erased some of his worries. He could relax and spend the day doing really not much with them.

He was sad to find out Jeongin was becoming less and less excited to receive skinship.

“He’s growing up.” Jisung pretended to wipe away a tear as Jeongin darted off after a hug.

“He’s been too spoiled by all of us he can’t take much more.” Hyunjin snorted.

He lived closest to Changbin and Misun so he spent the most time with them.

“My baby…” Jisung said dramatically.

“Let’s sit outside for a bit.” Hyunjin tossed him a soda. “The weather is so nice.”

It was a nice day. Even though it was bright and warm outside, Jisung still felt a strange gloominess hanging over him. The instant his mind wandered he could only remember flashes of his biological dad.

“You’re zoning out on me again.” Hyunjin nudged him with his foot.

“Sorry.” Jisung shook his head. “Just thinking.”

“What about?” Hyunjin leaned back in his chair, Kkami next to him

“Hyunjin… do you remember your mom much?” Jisung asked hesitantly.

“Do you mean my biological mom?” he clarified.

“Yeah. Her…” Jisung nodded. “Do you ever think about her?”

“Not really…” Hyunjin frowned. “Maybe it’s a protective habit, but I block out those memories a lot. I’m happy with my family now. No reason to go back in the past, ya know.”

Jisung fiddled with his fingers.

“I don’t usually think about my dad, but today is so weird.” Jisung admitted. “It’s like my brain can’t stop thinking.”

“Oh… I’m sorry.” Hyunjin responded. “I’m sure that feels… pretty bad.”

“A little, yeah…”

“It’s good to process it.” Hyunjin gave him his advice. “Maybe even talk about it with someone…”

“I don’t want to talk about it.” Jisung said quickly.

“Okay, that’s fine too. Then do you want to be distracted?”

“Yeah that sounds better.” Jisung replied even though it probably wasn’t the most emotionally responsible. Hyunjin didn’t push him though.

He had a good first part of the day with them. They played games, talked and laughed. Jisung didn’t feel like he had to think about his dad much.

It weighed on him a little bit when he drove back home but it wasn’t terrible. He was excited to spend time with Minho so he distracted himself with that.

When he got home, he was tackled by Minho upon entering the living room.

“Woah! What’s the occasion?” Jisung joked after fighting his way out of his grasp.

“Soobin is away for the night so we can do _whatever_ we want.” Minho shot finger guns at him.

“Yeah… I don’t think we can do whatever we want.” Jisung laughed and rolled his eyes.

“Where’s your sense of excitement?” Minho gasped. “Were you _not_ planning to have a totally fun night?”

“Uh… I actually thought it would be nice to just relax. Watch a movie. Have ice cream.” Jisung shrugged.

“Good plan.” Minho nodded.

“Really?” Jisung frowned at him. “You were just so excited to do something grand.”

“I just want to do whatever you want today.” Minho brushed past him.

“Do you know what today is?”

Jisung hadn’t really told Minho what day it was.

“What day is it?” Minho looked at him innocently, grabbing his keys.

“Nevermind.” Jisung shook his head. “Are you going somewhere?”

“You wanted ice cream.”

“Oh- yeah!” Jisung facepalmed and then followed after him.

“I drive there, you drive back. Deal?”

“Deal!” Jisung got into the passenger seat, reminded of when they were younger.

It was nice to be able to have time to themselves. They could talk and laugh and forget about all their responsibilities for a while. Their conversations always seemed to return to Soobin though…

It was a bit tricky pulling the car back into the garage. Minho had his workbench set up and his tools had spilled over around the area so it was a challenge not to run over anything.

“A little more…” Minho guided him into the garage slowly.

Jisung took a short breath, reminded of driving in an unfamiliar car away from his house. He shook his head quickly, trying to clear the memory.

“Don’t go forward any more!”

Minho’s sudden exclamation startled Jisung and his foot automatically jerked forward onto the gas. Immediately he switched to the brake, but not before the car had shot forward and plowed into Minho’s workbench.

“What are you-?! Reverse!” Minho slammed his hand down onto the dashboard, startling Jisung again.

“I’m trying!” Jisung fumbled with the gears before reversing.

There was a loud screeching sound as the car rolled back. The wheel had caught the bottom of the work bench and dragged it back, throwing everything off.

“Stop!” Minho reached over and grabbed the wheel, not that it really did anything.

Jisung slammed on the brakes again, jolting them to stop. Minho jerked the gearshift into park and yanked the keys out of the car.

Jisung sat frozen as Minho pushed his way out of the car and slammed the door behind him. Jisung stared, knowing he had majorly messed up. He couldn’t really see Minho’s workbench since it had been knocked over and then dragged under the car, but whatever he was working on was surely ruined.

He jumped when Minho slammed his fist on the car hood while looking at the damage. Minho returned to his side of the car and yanked open his door.

“Come and look what you did.” he said angrily.

Jisung fumbled to unclip his seatbelt and got out of the car on shaky legs.

“This-.” Minho lifted a piece of cracked wood. “Ruined.”

Jisung stepped closer. It was pretty bad.

“This- ruined! This ruined! What the hell were you thinking?!” Minho threw down another damaged part.

“I didn’t mean to!”

“This took me days! Time and money and you went and ran over it!” Minho ran his hand roughly through his hair. “You’re such an idiot! I told you not to go forward anymore!”

“I didn’t mean-.”

“You didn’t mean to ruin everything I’ve been working on? Well look at it! It’s all messed up because of you!” Minho kicked the workbench angrily. “All my tools…”

Jisung swallowed hard. The same memory that had plagued him all day rose to his mind again. He had made a mistake and now he would be punished.

“I can’t believe-.” Minho rounded on him. “You knew this was here! I told you to be careful!”

Jisung flinched at him shouting. His father was shouting.

“Do you know how hard I worked on this? Do you know how many hours I spent?”

Jisung stayed frozen, his heartbeat racing a little more by the second.

He watched as Minho sorted through his parts, looking for something salvageable maybe.

“Are you going to hit me?”

Minho turned to Jisung and stared at him. Jisung had never seen him look so shocked.

Jisung took a step backwards, feeling more than a little overwhelmed. His words seemed to douse the situation in cold water.

“Why would I hit you?”

His voice sounded genuinely confused. He had gone from furious, to concerned in such a short time.

“I-I don’t know.” Jisung responded.

He wasn’t sure where his fear was coming from. He wasn’t afraid of Minho. At least, he didn’t think so. It felt so familiar though. It would be so easy for Minho to release on him because of his mistake.

“No, Jisung I would never.” Minho took a step forward. “This is just-.”

The fight or flight instinct in Jisung was triggered and he took a step back as well. He knocked a tray to the floor, the clatter startling both of them.

“I’m sorry-.” Jisung pressed his hand to his heart at the noise. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I’m sorry- I’m sorry-.”

Minho stared at him. He looked so hurt Jisung felt guilty. Of course Minho would never deal with him physically. His mind and body were betraying him.

“I-If you hurt me it would be okay because it’s you and y-you wouldn’t really mean it.” Jisung wasn’t sure where his reasoning was coming from exactly but he wanted to cover all of his bases. “You’re different. You won’t keep doing it-.”

“Jisung, I’m not going to hit you.” Minho repeated.

“Okay…” Jisung breathed, clenching and unclenching his hands in the edge of his jacket.

“I’m so sorry.” Minho looked stunned still. “I didn’t mean to scare you. I shouldn’t have yelled at you like that.”

“It’s okay.” Jisung said. It was what he was supposed to say, right?

“I didn’t mean anything I said, I promise.” Minho raised his hands and let them drop. “I lost control and I said bad things-.”

“I got taken from my dad today.”

He didn’t know why he said it. He brought his hand up to his mouth, pressing his fingers against his lips. Now was not the time. Not after he had just ruined Minho’s hard work.

“Jisung…” Minho stared at him.

“I’m not afraid of you.” Jisung said shakily. “I just- I don’t feel well. I can’t stop thinking- remembering… All day it hasn’t stopped and I can’t turn it off. T-That’s why I made a mistake- I didn’t mean to-.”

Minho stepped closer to him slowly and carefully.

“I-I don’t know why. After all this time.” Jisung felt the panic rising again. “Why can’t I stop thinking of him?”

“It’s okay. It happens to me sometimes too.” Minho reached out and touched his arm gently. “It hits out of nowhere. Can I… hold you?”

Jisung stepped forward into his arms, letting Minho cuddle him close.

“I didn’t mean what I said.” Minho reassured him again. “I promise I’m not mad and I promise I won’t ever hurt you. I would never do what he did to you.”

Jisung relaxed into Minho’s arms, letting him whisper encouragements to him until his heartbeat slowed. They moved to the house and Minho treated Jisung like he was so delicate. He wrapped him up in a blanket on the couch and went so far as to make cocoa for him.

Jisung wrapped his fingers around the warm mug as Minho sat beside him, pulling him close.

“I’m sorry for freaking out.” Jisung apologized.

“Nothing to be sorry about.” Minho shook his head. “I was the one who triggered you.”

“I ruined everything.”

“No you didn’t. I overreacted.” Jisung thought Minho was toning it down for him. “I can fix a lot of it. It’s not as bad as it seems.”

“I feel bad… about thinking of that time.” Jisung replied. “It’s just- it’s been so long and it hasn’t bothered me much before.”

“I think it’s natural.” Minho traced circles in his shoulder with his hand. “Some stages in your life are going to feel different and maybe you have something resonate with you that never has before.”

“I feel guilty for making a big deal over it. He only… did that- to me once or twice, but I know you…”

Jisung waited for Minho to tense up or say he didn’t want to talk about it. He glanced at him nervously.

“My dad was abusive.” Minho nodded as if it was common knowledge. Well, it was between them. “But that doesn’t make your experience any lesser. It’s traumatic any time a parent chooses aggression. It’s really traumatizing to be pulled away from the only home you’ve ever known even if it is a bad place.”

“I guess you’re braver than I am.” Jisung lay his head on Minho’s shoulder.

“There’s no such thing.” Minho scoffed lightly. “We’re just two kids who are working through our own struggles.”

“How do you do it?” Jisung asked, genuinely curious. “I know we don’t talk about it, but your life before was so awful. How can you be so…?”

“So what?” Minho asked gently.

“You’re so kind, and brave, and gentle.” Jisung listed off his attributes. “You take care of other people and never put your burdens on them.”

“You think I’m more wonderful than I really am. I did just yell at you. That’s not terribly kind or gentle.” Minho leaned his cheek on the top of Jisung’s head. “But I guess you’ve always been that way.”

“You _are_ wonderful.” Jisung argued.

“Well…I don’t really know myself.” Minho replied. “Sometimes I’m terrified of myself because I think one day, I’ll be just like him. I don’t always feel as brave inside as I seem on the outside. I have a lot of doubts.”

Jisung’s heart sank. Surely, he had hurt Minho by acting as if he would be the same as their fathers. He had reacted and it made Minho that bad guy. Still, there he was comforting Jisung.

“You’re one of the reasons I keep going even with all the doubts.” Minho continued. “You, and my dad, my mom, Felix, Seungmin… and especially Soobin.”

Jisung hummed, appreciating how much family meant to the both of them.

“With you guys, I get to make the right choice over and over. I know I’ll never be like him because it’s just not in my heart. I’ve proven it to myself a thousand times over. I could _never_ be that extreme to the people I love.”

Minho hugged Jisung closer.

“I do make a lot of mistakes, but every time I do, I remember how much I love that person. It just fuels me to be better the next time.” Minho told him. “I was terrible tonight. I should never have yelled at you like that. I still have a lot of faults.”

Jisung wanted to comfort him but he wasn’t sure how.

“Do you know I love you?” Minho placed his free hand on Jisung’s chest, over his heart.

“Yes.” he whispered back.

“Always remember that I love you even when I’m bad at showing it.” Minho said softly. “I was lucky enough to be raised by a true father, but my childhood with my biological dad still shaped me into who I am now. There are some dark parts I can’t quite escape. You understand, don’t you?”

“Yes, I do.” Jisung nodded.

“I’ll never judge you for struggling because I struggle too.” Minho assured him. “That’s why I think we’re perfect together. We have _grace_ for each other. It’s understanding that goes deeper because we’ve shared the same hardships.”

“I’m so sorry I acted like I did.” Jisung still felt the need to apologize. “It didn’t come from my heart. It was just fear in the moment. I trust you whole heartedly.”

“Thanks for letting me know.” Minho replied sincerely. “Can we agree to forgive each other? And learn from our mistakes.”

“Yes.” Jisung held up his pinky for a pinky promise.

“I think the ice cream melted in the car.” Minho whispered.

“It’s fine.” Jisung grinned. “I honestly just want to sleep.”

“Whatever you want.” Minho squeezed him in a brief hug and then pulled him up.

“I’m sorry again.”

“Nothing to be sorry about.” Minho smiled and lightly pushed him towards his room.

Jisung went to bed feeling strangely better. He felt like the day had lasted forever, but he had managed to survive it. In the end, he felt safe and loved. That was really all he needed.

Jisung woke up to a small hand patting his cheek. He smiled before opening his eyes, knowing it was Soobin.

“Are you awake?” Soobin whispered, poking his cheek to check.

“Mm hm.” Jisung opened his eyes. Soobin was standing next to his bed. “What do you need bunny?”

“I made you breakfast.” Soobin beamed, scurrying around to the other side of his bed.

Jisung rolled onto his back to see Minho come in the door with a tray.

“Oh…” Jisung covered his face with his hands, a little overwhelmed in the moment.

Soobin climbed onto his bed next to him. Jisung pushed himself up so he was sitting against the headboard.

“You’re spoiling me.” Jisung pulled Soobin close to his side as Minho set the tray down over his legs.

They had made him eggs and toast and sausage. Minho placed a glass of orange juice on his bedside table.

“Daddy said you had a bad night last night.” Soobin informed him solemnly.

“Minho?!” Jisung gasped. “Why did you tell him that?”

“So I can be extra nice today!” Soobin raised his hand like he knew the answer. “I promise I will be very good.”

“You’re very good already bunny.” Jisung pressed a kiss to his cheek.

He glanced at Minho who was just watching quietly. He shrugged a little and smiled shyly at him.

It meant a lot to Jisung. While Minho tended to thrive on acts of service types of care for others, overtly touching or considerate gestures were hard for him. The fact that he had gotten up early to do something for Jisung meant a lot.

“Can I share?”

Soobin looked at him hopefully, his fingers already touching a piece of his toast.

“Yes, you can.” Jisung bumped their foreheads together.

He glanced back at Minho, who sat at the foot of his bed.

 _Thank you_ Jisung mouthed to him.

Minho nodded his head once. Jisung knew that no words had to be spoken for them to communicate that they cared for each other. They just did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In conclusion: Jisung just wants to feel safe, needed, listened to, and loved on! Add in some Soobin cuddles, teasing from Minho, and comfort from his family and you get a happy Jisung! Next chapter, I will give you the recipe for Minho!


	5. Minho

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I am so excited to post this chapter because FINALLY I have the last few worldbuilding moments so we can get baby #2 next chapter! I really took with my time for his setup and I hope it pays off! This chapter mirrors the last one because it’s like a review of Minho’s character. He also needs special care and love in his own way! But I am sorry for how much uh… fighting there is in this chapter. Had to get to a breaking point to open up for Yeonjun to come in the household with strong companionship and love!

Minho had always been a protector. From his siblings, to his friends, to his own kid, he always felt that the protector role fit him best. He liked being strong and sturdy for those he loved. Yet there were also times he wished he could step back and be taken care of.

Jisung was a comforter. More sensitive and caring, but he had been struggling. Minho recognized it and did his best to help but he also felt lacking in the end.

He wanted to give Jisung the space and time he needed to get back on his feet. It took time to adjust to everything still being fairly new.

Minho had felt a strange sense of loneliness creeping up on him. It was strange because he had Soobin and Jisung there with him, yet he still felt lacking. Deep down, he really missed his family. Seeing them all grow up so fast had him missing being there with them.

One night, he was feeling so lonely after Soobin was in bed and Jisung was gone, that he called Chan.

They talked for close to an hour. Minho acted like he was just checking in, but he honestly just wanted to hear Chan’s voice.

“Your mom bought more clothes for Soobin. Every time she goes to the store, she finds something that she claims he ‘has to have’.” Chan laughed.

Minho nodded and chuckled as well.

“She is also very proud you have a garden and keeps buying seeds!”

Minho bit his lip. He wished he could drive straight home and get a hug from her.

“I told her to be moderate or it will drive you crazy.”

“No, it’s fine. I could use some help.” Minho struggled not to let his voice waver.

“When you come home, she’ll dump everything on you!” Chan sounded so happy and for some reason it made Minho so sad. He pressed his lips together tightly.

“Felix is bothering me to play a game with him. Can I let you go now? I can call back later if you’d like.”

“Yeah. Yeah, go play with him.” Minho brushed away a tear, trying to put on a brave voice. “I’ll call you later.”

“Alright. Give Soobin a kiss for me.” Chan replied warmly.

“I will.”

When Chan hung up the phone, Minho felt so lonely it was crushing. He couldn’t help the tears that rushed in quickly.

He missed his family.

It was getting cold so he turned to go in the house. Through the kitchen window, he saw Jisung was home.

It was selfish, but he didn’t want to see him. Jisung who seemed to be doing managing just fine with Minho’s help. Minho had made the decision mostly for him. And now he was the one suffering.

“Is Soobin already in bed?” Jisung asked when he came in.

“Yes.” Minho replied shortly.

Jisung nodded and continued eating the plate of food Minho had set out for him.

“I have a meeting tomorrow afternoon.” Minho said quietly, putting dirty dishes in the sink. “I only need you to watch him for two hours.”

“Oh sorry I can’t. I’m also gone tomorrow evening.” Jisung replied. “I’ve gotta catch up at the studio.”

Minho kept his back turned to Jisung, every clink of his chopsticks on his plate grating on his nerves.

“Can’t you come home early? I don’t have a babysitter.”

“I really need to maximize my time now that I have access to the studio.” Jisung replied back as if they were having a casual conversation.

“Is it urgent?” Jisung asked with a hint of exasperation.

Minho wanted to sob. His whole life felt urgent. He couldn’t get back on his feet while Jisung was thriving.

“Yes it’s urgent!” Minho cried suddenly. “I need help!”

“I always help. Can’t you hire a babysitter? It’s only two hours.”

“What is wrong with you that you can’t help for just two hours?” Minho threw down a cup into the sink and rounded on him.

“I watch him all the time!” Jisung shot back angrily. “Don’t act like I don’t ever help!”

“I just-.” Minho knew he was right.

“Jeez… I didn’t think I would come home to you in such a bad mood.” Jisung grumbled.

Minho wanted to say something but his mind blanked. He struggled for a moment, tears blurring his vision as Jisung settled down to eat again.

“Home? Come home?” Minho’s voice shook. “This isn’t my home.”

“What kind of thing is that to say?” Jisung snapped his head up angrily.

“I’m the one who wants to go home! I’m sick of being here!” Minho shouted, tears finally streaming down his face again.

“Minho…” Jisung softened, suddenly hit with his outburst.

“I’m so lonely!” Minho sobbed, pressing the back of his hand to his lips. “You don’t even care but I’m all alone with my kid and I don’t know what I’m doing anymore!”

“Minho, I’m sorry, I didn’t-.”

“Whatever! Just leave me alone!” Minho snapped. “I’ll take Soobin with me.”

“Hold on- let me talk!” Jisung tried to cut in.

“No- I don’t need your help.” Minho shook his head furiously and then turned to leave.

“Minho!” Jisung called after him. “Minho!”

Minho didn’t see Jisung in the morning. He was already gone. He meant to apologize but he could always do it later in person.

“Can you play with me?” Soobin found him in the laundry room, struggling with the water line which they needed to replace.

Minho sighed and looked down at him.

“You really need a playmate, don’t you?”

Soobin nodded seriously.

“Well, unfortunately I can’t pull one out of thin air so you’ll have to do with just me today.” Minho patted his head.

“Okay.” Soobin reached up to hold Minho’s hand.

Minho set them up in the living room with Soobin’s dinosaur toys. His request of course.

“Mine eats yours.” Soobin clashed their toys together.

“Yours eats plants!” Minho laughed. “He doesn’t eat the T-Rex!”

“Yes he does!” Soobin frowned.

“How so?” Minho lay on his side and propped his head up on his hand. “Because you say so?”

“Because… I make him.” Soobin grinned proudly.

“Sounds like a plan.” Minho nodded and tossed his toy aside.

Soobin grabbed more from his bin while Minho watched him. One of the dinosaur toys had been his motivation to crawl. It seemed like only days ago that Minho had set him down on the carpet for tummy time and watched him wiggle around.

“Can you slow down?” Minho asked him. He reached out and poked his squishy tummy.

“No.” Soobin replied even though he didn’t get what Minho was saying.

Minho suddenly had an overwhelming sense of just how fast time was going. He needed to hold onto every moment he possibly could.

He spent the rest of the day with Soobin, the two of them doing everything as a pair.

They were ready to make dinner when Soobin suddenly called to him from the hallway.

“It’s wet!”

“What’s wet?” Minho called back.

“My sock…” Soobin answered. “And the floor.”

Minho rolled his eyes and went to see what was up.

He was met with a puddle of water stretching from the laundry room. Minho gasped, immediately moving to see what was wrong.

It looked like the pipe had broken and was sending water everywhere. He shut the washer off quickly and tried to hold his hand over the pipe.

Unfortunately the water had leaked just about everywhere, including back in the hard to reach spaces. Minho shortly told Soobin to go to his room and find something to play while he tried to clean it up.

He heard Jisung get home at some point and called for him to help.

“Woah… what happened?” Jisung gasped.

“The stupid old pipe broke.” Minho groaned. “I need to make sure it doesn’t hit the electrical stuff in the corner.”

“Yikes!” Jisung had the nerve to laugh. “What a mess.”

“Just grab some towels and start soaking it up!” Minho threw one at him.

“Jeez… okay.”

Jisung dropped the towel on the floor, pushing the water closer towards the outlets probably without thinking.

“What are you doing? Push it my way!” Minho gestured.

“I’m doing what you said!” Jisung just stood there.

“Will you just- be helpful?!” Minho snapped.

“Don’t yell at me!” Jisung shot back. “It’s your own fault for not checking the pipe when you started it!”

“I’ve been taking care of Soobin all day!” Minho blocked the water from leaking further with a towel. “I don’t have time to do everything!”

“Because taking it out on me is the right fix for this situation.” Jisung scoffed and threw a towel back his way.

“Oh grow up!” Minho snapped back, his tension through the roof. “We’re in a crisis! I don’t have time to worry about your feelings!”

“You’re such a jerk!” Jisung lifted one of their laundry baskets and set it on top of the washer. “You’re just being mean on purpose!”

Minho slammed his hand down against the dryer, pausing his frenetic damage control for a moment.

“I have a little kid, and a job, and an apartment that are all _my_ responsibility!” he said angrily. “I’m sorry for being angry when things start falling apart! Last time I checked, I would have to deal with the consequences, not you!”

“Then stop making things my fault!” Jisung responded just as quickly.

“Stop taking things so personally and suck it up!” Minho dropped a dripping towel into the sink. “It’s like I have another child!”

“I’m just trying to help and you-.” Jisung stomped his foot. “Whatever! Deal with it yourself!”

“Fine! I will!” Minho snapped.

Jisung turned around and left the laundry room, slamming the door behind him angrily. Minho winced at the noise.

It took a long time to clean up all the water. Minho dumped the wet towels in the washer and started it up again after thoroughly cleaning the drain pipe.

He felt exhausted. It was one more little problem that set him on edge. He missed their old apartment where everything worked fine. Maybe it was small but it didn’t have so much responsibility.

He wasn’t sure where Jisung went, but he knew he wasn’t with Soobin because the little boy approached him hesitantly to ask for dinner.

He wanted to kick himself for yelling at Jisung. Chan had told him not to treat him badly no matter what the situation was and then he had gone and yelled at him multiple times in the past few weeks.

Minho was forced to continue on with life pretending nothing was wrong. He was almost fully silent as he got Soobin fed and washed up before bed. He didn’t have the heart to read Soobin a story so he whizzed through a short picture book and tucked him in.

The house felt too empty and lonely with Soobin in bed and Jisung hiding away somewhere. It felt massive and scary to be responsible of. He wished he could curl up in his room and get away from everything for a little while.

Instead, he dragged himself into the laundry room and collected the clothes from the dryer so he could transfer the washed towels in. He moved to his room to fold, each item of clothing feeling like a massive task.

He felt so weak for crying, but he couldn’t stop the tears from falling as he did the chore. Hadn’t he been working hard enough? He felt off kilter even when he had tried so hard to balance all three of them.

He hadn’t meant to snap at Jisung either and now he had lost his ally. Through it all, he felt so lonely.

He brushed away tears and stacked each person’s clothes separately. Soobin’s were so much smaller than Minho and Jisung’s. They still had dinosaurs and stripes and bright colors.

Minho lifted his soft blue onesie and pressed it to his cheek, feeling how soft it was. He just wanted his baby to be happy and healthy. He didn’t want his sadness to affect his bright, happy little boy.

He had to do something to change. He stood with purpose and carried Jisung’s clothes to his room. He packed up a few of Soobin’s clothes that were freshly washed into a suitcase along with some of his own clothes.

It was only a short time away Minho wanted, so he could fit everything in one of his small suitcases. He grabbed a backpack as well for some of their toiletries and activities for Soobin. He went to the living room to find some of his toys but ran into Jisung.

Minho silently collected his toys and his shoes.

“Where are you going?” Jisung finally broke the silence.

“Away.”

“What does that mean?” Jisung sounded angry.

“I’m going away for a little while. I’m taking Soobin with me too.” Minho zipped up his backpack and headed to Soobin’s room for the rest of his clothes.

Jisung followed him.

“You can’t just leave because you’re angry!” he said.

“Quiet!” Minho turned on him with a harsh whisper. “He’s sleeping!”

Right outside Soobin’s bedroom door was not a good place to have an argument.

“This is really petty of you to leave just because you didn’t like how I handle the laundry room!” Jisung whisper shouted.

“It’s not about that! I’m leaving for my own sanity!”

“Your own sanity? What is driving you crazy here? Wait- don’t say it’s me!” Jisung jabbed his finger angrily at Minho.

Minho could tell he was furious even in the near dark of the hallway.

“I’ll do what I want!” Minho smacked his hand away. “I’m taking Soobin for a few days, maybe longer.”

“Are you trying to punish me by taking Soobin?” Jisung accused.

“What- no! I’m not doing this for you, I’m doing this for me!” Minho hissed back.

“Then leave him here!”

“He’s my kid! I’m taking him with me!” Minho was honestly surprised how his emotions were able to go from one extreme to the other so quickly. He wasn’t even sure if he was sad or angry anymore.

“If you’re going to be like this then I don’t want him going with you!” Jisung stood his ground.

“Be like what?” Minho struggled to keep his voice at a low level. “What right do you have to tell me no?”

“You’re being so strange! I don’t know what’s wrong with you!” Jisung shot back.

“Shut up! Just shut up!”

Minho pushed past him to open the door to Soobin’s room. They both fell silent as Minho quietly went to his drawers and finished packing. Jisung waited for him, both of them still seething.

Minho waited until they were out of his room and the door was closed before turning to Jisung.

“I’m leaving in the morning. We’ll be back when I message you.” he said shortly.

“Good. I don’t want to see you for a while.” Jisung snapped.

“I don’t want to see you either.” Minho was angry but he felt immensely guilty saying the words all the same.

They went to their respective rooms with anger still burning hot between them. Minho fell into bed with a groan, unable to believe how everything fell apart so fast.

Usually he was the one who went to Jisung right after calming down, if not immediately, and made things right. He just couldn’t this time. It was like he lost his drive. He was tired of always being the one who had it together. He just wanted time to rest and recharge himself.

He was too tired to try to calm down or even attempt to work things out with Jisung, so he just tried to fall asleep.

Nothing was better in the morning.

Minho had them up early, hoping to be out of the house before Jisung woke up. The younger boy managed to ruin that plan and even sat with Soobin while he ate breakfast.

Soobin was excited to get to go see his papa and grammy and uncles. He had no idea what was going on in Minho’s heart.

Minho could tell Chan suspected something was strange but didn’t bring it up directly. Minho didn’t say anything until sometime towards the evening. He found Chan in the garage, working on Felix’s bike.

“Watcha doing?” Minho shoved his hands in his pockets.

“Trying to figure out how to get these training wheels off his bike.” Chan grunted and tugged at them again.

“Is he ready to ride without them?”

“We’ll see when I take them off!” Chan laughed and straightened, stretching out his back.

Minho stared at him, noting the way his eyes softened when he talked about one of the kids, or the way his mouth was set in a permanently kind smile.

“Something on my face?” he teased.

“No- no just… remembering.”

“Remembering?” Chan laughed. “Remembering what?”

“What you look like. So I won’t forget when I go home.” Minho replied.

Chan seemed to sense something was up. He reached out and squeezed Minho’s arm.

“Everything okay?”

Everything was definitely not okay but Minho couldn’t attack his problems head on. He definitely could not feel brave enough to tell Chan he had cried missing him the night before.

“I got in a fight with Jisung.” he blurted out instead.

“I see…” Chan nodded. “A big fight?”

“Kinda…” Minho replied. “I yelled at him and… said some really mean things.”

“Ah…” Chan leaned back against the work bench he had set up. “Wanna share what is was about?”

“It’s going to sound so awful.”

“I’ve seen and heard a lot of awful in my life and I can assure you, I’m only here to help.” Chan smiled encouragingly.

“I did everything you told me not to do…”

“Ah… It happens sometimes. Even when we try our hardest not to let it go south.” Chan nodded encouragingly.

“I’m just so tired of him.”

Minho felt bad saying it out loud, but he also felt a weight release in his chest.

“I feel like I moved for him and not myself. I know I had this plan but now I’m second guessing… He’s having the time of his life and mine is falling apart.” Minho admitted.

“How so exactly?”

“Now _my_ work is far away and it’s hard to balance my time with Soobin. I work from home a lot more and it just makes me restless. I don’t feel like Jisung wants to help out anymore either.”

Minho sighed, his shoulders falling in defeat.

“I feel like I did when I moved away for the first time.”

“Maybe could that feeling be uncertainty since you’re in a new environment and have new responsibilities?” Chan asked.

“Probably.” Minho shrugged. “It sounds so dumb but I miss not being able to drive down here when I need help. You guys feel so far away.”

Chan made a sad face, empathetic towards him.

“I told Jisung him and Soobin could be my family and I would be okay but now… it’s not enough.”

“Sounds to me like you’re feeling in over your head. Maybe a little alone?” Chan clarified.

“Yeah definitely.” Minho affirmed. “I don’t know where to go from here.”

“I’ll be the first to tell you, it’s perfectly normal.” Chan smiled. “Your mom and I had so many seasons where we thought the morning would never come. Even though you have Jisung there as a friend, you’re really navigating on your own.”

Minho nodded. It was exactly how he felt.

“Embrace this time. It sounds strange, but this is when you get the strongest.” Chan seemed awfully sincere. “Find what’s most important to you and work from there.”

“How do I know what’s important?” Minho asked.

“Start with what you love. Identify if you are feeling drained in your time with Soobin. If so, switch it up! If you’re feeling a lack of connection, spend more time with him! I had to learn how to do this with Felix, remember?”

“Uh huh.” Minho nodded again. “I’ll try. But what about Jisung?”

“Honestly, it’s hard because you’re living your lives together in such close proximity. It may be hard, but think about what companionship looks like from Jisung’s perspective. This could even mean asking him directly.”

Minho cringed a little internally. The last thing he wanted was a confrontation. Especially after he had been so unkind.

“He could be feeling just as drained as you and you might not even know it.” Chan continued wisely. “Be as gentle with him as you are on yourself. I think you have the mindset to do that, right?”

“Yes. I feel really bad about fighting.” Minho lowered his head. “I’m sure he’s lonely right now.”

“You’re doing really well.” Chan stepped forward to put his arms around his shoulder. “I didn’t learn these things until I was way older!”

“It’s because I have you helping me!” Minho grinned.

“That’s what I’m here for.”

“I better go inside to check on Soobin.” Minho grinned. “Then we’ll probably go home tomorrow. I don’t want Jisung to be hurt since I’m not there.”

“Sounds good.” Chan nodded.

They headed into the house to find the boys.

They were at the table doing crafts. Seungmin was mostly helping Soobin.

Minho squeezed his shoulder, knowing it probably wasn’t fun for him, but he was sacrificing so Soobin and Felix would have fun.

“What are you making?” Chan leaned over his shoulder to see Soobin’s craft.

“A card.” Soobin replied, reaching for a marker.

“Who is the card for?”

“Jiji.” Soobin responded simply.

Minho felt sad again realizing he had just left Jisung after having an argument with him. He was sure the younger boy was feeling lonely. Especially since their relationship had been turbulent in the past week or so.

He signaled to Chan that he would be gone for a moment before stepping out of the room. He dialed the first number in his contacts, not able to wait to make things right with Jisung.

It rang a few times before connecting.

“Hey Minho.”

“Oh- Changbin?” Minho was surprised to hear his voice.

“Hi. Sorry if I surprised you. I answered because I saw the caller was you.” Changbin explained.

“Is Jisung with you?” Minho asked, already worried hearing he was at Changbin’s house.

“Yeah, he’s with Jeongin right now.”

“I um…” Minho winced. “Is he okay?”

“Depends.” Changbin’s tone was gentle but Minho got the hint. “Do you plan on leaving him?”

“No of course not. I would never.” Minho was quick to say. “We just… had an argument. It was my fault.”

“I know.” Changbin sounded like he was smiling. “I think it was a joint effort from what Jisung told me. I know it’s nothing drastic but I haven’t been able to convince him yet. I think that’s your job…”

Minho got the hint. He had a moment of gratefulness for Changbin. He had been such a steady rock in Jisung’s life. Just like Chan for Minho. He was glad Changbin was looking out for the both of them. He felt his care.

“I’ll come take him home.” Minho said. “Thank you.”

“It’s no problem.” Changbin replied. “I’ll see you soon.”

Minho ended the call and returned to the others.

“Are you staying for dinner?” Chan smiled knowingly at him.

“I’ve got to go collect my boy.” Minho smiled back.

Chan packed Soobin something to eat on the road since it was getting late anyways and he would probably get sleepy soon. He fell asleep in the car on the way to Changbin’s house.

When Minho arrived, Changbin came out to greet him. He sat with Soobin while Minho went inside.

His heart melted all over again when he saw Jisung asleep on the couch, tear tracks still damp on his cheeks.

He crouched beside him and gentle brushed away his tears. Jisung stirred when he put his hand on his shoulder. He looked disoriented when he first focused on Minho.

“Hi there.” Minho whispered. “I missed you.”

“Me too.” Jisung murmured, still waking up.

“Can I take you home?” Minho asked.

Jisung nodded and reached his hands out. Minho thought he would stand on his own, but he seemed to be content with Minho carrying him. Minho grunted a little when lifting him but managed to get him to the car.

He slept on the way home since it was such a long drive. Minho carried Soobin to bed first and Jisung walked himself in. Minho was tired, but he headed to Jisung’s room after Soobin was settled in.

He knocked lightly before entering. Jisung was on his bed, his back to Minho.

Minho eased down beside him.

“Jisung…” Minho squeezed his shoulder, knowing he was awake but he stubbornly ignored him. “I’m sorry… can we talk about it?”

Jisung tried to roll further away from him.

“Please- I know I messed up.” Minho pleaded with him. “I want to apologize.”

“I forgive you.” Jisung mumbled.

“You’re just saying that to get me to leave you alone.” Minho saw right through him. “Please talk to me.”

“There’s nothing to talk about. You already said everything.” Jisung pressed his face against his pillow more.

“I didn’t mean those things.” Minho touched his shoulder again. “I was way out of line and a total jerk. I promise I didn’t mean them.”

“Doesn’t matter.” Jisung murmured. “They’re true…”

“Stop it Jisung.” Minho rubbed his arm and tried to see his face. “You know they’re not true. I only said them because I was angry.”

“I _am_ like a child.” Jisung argued. “I’m just living off of you guys. I don’t have a _real_ job. I’m just barely making it and trying to finish school… I’m just a burden.”

His words hurt Minho a lot. He realized Jisung had his own struggles he was hiding away.

“Not in my eyes!” Minho shook his head. “You always help me with Soobin! I couldn’t survive without you! You do the household chores and cheer me up after a bad day. You do more than I do.”

“I don’t really do much.” Jisung shrugged slightly. “You’re the one making money and providing…”

“That doesn’t matter to me.” Minho said easily. “I only care about having you by my side.”

He knew he was dealing with Jisung’s deeply wounded pride. He had hit a sore spot and it was hard to soothe.

“I just want to be a part of a family where I’m not a burden.” Jisung’s breath caught at the end and Minho sensed impending tears. “I thought you really wanted to leave me.”

“You’re never a burden.” Minho eased down but propped himself up on his elbow so he could rest his chin on Jisung’s shoulder. “And I would _never_ leave you.”

“Yes I am.” Jisung sniffled. “I only pay a third of the living expenses you do. And I can’t always watch Soobin so you have to do it yourself, and I forget to do things you ask when I’m studying.”

“It’s okay honey.” Minho spoke to Jisung softly, like Soobin. “Be gentle with yourself.”

“I just make life harder for you!” Jisung’s shoulder started to shake with tears.

“Come here…” Minho gently rolled him over. This time he didn’t resist. He tucked Jisung’s head against his chest and wrapped his arm around his waist.

“I even need you to comfort me.” Jisung whimpered.

“It’s payback for all the times you’ve comforted me.” Minho nuzzled his face against Jisung’s hair.

“I’m just not like you.” Jisung whispered. “I’m weak, and forgetful, I’m not strong or brave.”

“You are literally one of the bravest and strongest people I have ever met.” Minho resisted the urge to laugh.

“You’re lying.” Jisung grumbled. “I’ve always been tagging along behind you. You have to help me with everything.”

“I’m not as independent as you think. I need someone around who believes and trusts in me unconditionally.” Minho dragged his fingers through Jisung’s hair. “I probably would not have even stayed with my own family if I wasn’t so worried about losing you way back then.”

“Really?” Jisung tilted his head up, trying to see Minho in the dark.

“We’re just two kids who weren’t sure where we belonged.” Minho nodded. “It’s a good thing we had each other, right?”

“Yes.” Jisung whispered softly.

“I’m not the best at, you know, talking about my feelings and all that but… I really love you Jisung.” Minho said sincerely. “I wouldn’t be able to raise our baby with anyone else.”

“Our baby?” Jisung repeated.

“Soobin is both of ours, right?” Minho said. “Unless you wanted to pass on that cutie…”

“Never!” Jisung smiled, his tears long gone.

“Good because you’re his daddy too and he loves you.” Minho affirmed him. “You have to stick around for him forever.”

Jisung shifted back so he had space between them to look at Minho.

“I’m sorry you cried. I’m sorry you miss your family.” he said regretfully. “I know you need them.”

“You and Soobin are my family. All I need is you two.” Minho replied stubbornly.

“I know you’re sad.” Jisung reached up to brush away Minho’s hair. “I caught you crying while you were folding the clothes…”

“Well that’s embarrassing.” Minho winced.

“It’s not embarrassing. You love your family, and miss them. I think it’s normal. I’m sorry I got angry at you again instead of comforting you…”

“Maybe I’m a little sad.” Minho shrugged.

“Do you want to cry with me?”

“It doesn’t work like that!” Minho laughed. “I can’t cry on command.”

“Well I can.” Jisung teased. “I just don’t want you to be sad alone. I want to do everything I can to fix it.”

Minho wondered how he was lucky enough to have someone who resolved fights in a way that made him feel so loved.

“Come here and don’t say anything.” Minho tugged Jisung forward and hugged him tightly, already choked up.

“M’kay.” Jisung hummed, nuzzling against him.

Minho did cry, and Jisung rubbed his back, but everything was okay again.

In the morning, Minho woke up to an empty bed. He had been tucked in cozily, as was Jisung’s signature, but he still felt the absence deeply.

He was tired but went to find Jisung anyways.

The younger boy was in the kitchen with his back to Minho. Probably making something easy like bagels. He was drowning in one of Minho’s sweatshirts and had bedhead.

“Good morning.” Minho tapped his shoulder to get his attention.

Jisung jumped and then rolled his eyes. Sure enough, he was making bagels.

“Look at you being all cozy in _my_ sweatshirt.” Minho yanked him closer on the last word. Jisung laughed and pushed his hand away.

“I tell you I love you and you think you have the right to steal my clothes.” Minho shook his head in disapproval.

“I do have the right to your clothes.” Jisung turned his nose up.

“Why? Because I gave you rights to my kid?” Minho rolled his eyes.

“No. Because I’m cute.” Jisung brought his hands up to his face and gave his best puppy dog eyes. “They look better on me.”

“You’re not cute enough for me to have mercy on you!” Minho grabbed him and dug his fingers into Jisung’s tummy and sides, making him shriek. He had always been ticklish, something Minho took advantage of.

He didn’t let Jisung get away from him, keeping him up against the counter as he laughed and thrashed around. He tilted his head back and let out a long clear laugh that made Minho’s heart soar. Maybe he was better at resolving conflict than he thought.

“Daddy…”

They were interrupted by Soobin entering the kitchen.

Minho stopped torturing Jisung and turned to him. Jisung combed his hair down, a little out of breath.

“Are you done fighting?” Soobin asked hopefully.

“We took some space and then worked it out.” Minho went to him and lifted him into his arms. “We aren’t fighting.”

“Good.” Soobin nodded once.

“Let’s get you some socks. The floor is cold.” Minho tapped his feet. “Then you can have breakfast.”

Soobin wiggled to be put down and then ran off to his room.

Jisung had turned back to the bagel he had abandoned.

“Looks like we’re calling a truce for now.” Minho snuck up behind Jisung and wrapped his arms around his middle.

“No more fighting in front of the kids.” Jisung nodded.

“No more stealing my clothes.” Minho said but he didn’t mean it.

He suddenly slipped his hands under Jisung’s stolen sweater and pressed his cold fingers against the smaller boy’s warm tummy.

“Ah!” Jisung jumped and pushed his hands away. “You’re evil!”

Minho laughed and moved away from him.

"Get Soobin in here so we can have breakfast." Jisung grinned.

Minho smiled back. Things would be alright. They always were in the end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading! Hope this chapter can be some much needed distraction or entertainment in this crazy time! Oh! I was thinking of posting a little snippet of Minho and Jisung and the fam back when Soobin was an actual baby! If you wanted, you can comment something you would like to see and I will do my best to write it! I just wanted some cute newborn action because Soobin is so adorable!


	6. Jisung

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So um... this chapter is 7 whole pages longer than what I usually write... oops! I felt like everything needed to be put in here though! This week I was feeling a little discouraged because I noticed my user subscriptions decreased and I wasn't sure why. So I wrote a few extra scenes in because I wasn't satisfied with this chapter and felt a little insecure! That's why it ended up being a behemoth of a chapter! I hope it is a really good chapter and can restore some good faith in me!
> 
> We get Jisung's birthday, finally a new member of the family and a lot fo working things out together! Also Yeonjun has a fear that my cousin had as a child (he's a kid now and no more fear!) which is quite common so I threw it in there for *plot*.
> 
> Also minor caution warning for both a bee sting and splinters. (Splinters happened to me this week so I added it in for the heck of it hahaha!)

Jisung had one thing raging through his mind over the past two months. He just wanted a kid. As crazy as it sounded, he wanted another little person running around their house.

In his heart, he felt like there was a missing piece. He felt it when him and Soobin were alone and the house felt empty. He even felt it when all three of them were together and something was a little incomplete.

Maybe it was because he had grown up in a house with three boys. His brothers had become his best friends. He wanted Soobin to have that too. But obviously it wasn’t just his choice to make. Ultimately Minho was the one calling the shots.

So Jisung finally brought it up to him.

“This is a big deal…” Minho said, looking a little overwhelmed.

“Do you remember your client that you talked about? That kid?” Jisung asked.

“Yeah…”

“We have a chance to give another kid what you wished you could give to that kid! You also said you wanted someone for Soobin!”

“Hang on.” Minho held his hand up. “I’m not saying no, but where did this come from? On your end.”

Jisung paused, becoming a little more serious.

“I was thinking in the past few weeks about my responsibilities. I feel like I’m ready to do more and be more involved. I think we can do it together.” he replied. “And I want someone for Soobin!”

“Well, I know we can do it.” Minho said, surprising Jisung with his confidence. “It’s just- how do we know it’s best for our family?”

“You mean for Soobin?”

“For all of us. Including this kid. It takes a lot to adopt a kid. I mean, raising my own kid was pretty hard… are you sure you want to tackle this?”

“Yes!” Jisung nodded emphatically. “I know it’s kind of a crazy thought, but we can take as much time as we need! As long as we start with that mindset.”

“Who’s going to adopt the kid, huh?” Minho grinned, leaning back against the counter.

“Oh…” Jisung honestly hadn’t thought about that. It was a big thing to overlook but he wasn’t thinking completely straight in his excitement.

“I’ll adopt.” Jisung said. “I think it’s best.”

“Cool.” Minho nodded once and turned to start washing the dishes.

“Cool? That’s it?” Jisung frowned.

“Well if you’re adopting the kid then it’s your decision.” Minho shrugged.

“You don’t even care?” Jisung was puzzled.

“I’ll support whatever you do.” Minho answered simply. “I think it’s a fine idea. If you want to, then I won’t stop you. Go for it.”

“Oh… Okay- I will.” Jisung frowned at Minho who had a slight smile on his face. Why was he so nonchalant about it?

It made him feel weird the rest of the day, like something was off.

The bottom line was, Jisung didn’t want to adopt.

It sounded crazy, but he wanted another kid in the house while at the same time, was afraid of taking on such a burden. It wasn’t fair to expect Minho to pick up that burden either though.

He turned it over in his head under it was late at night and his brain was hurting even while he was lying in bed. He had enough.

Jisung made his way to Minho’s room and opened the door with purpose.

Minho was laying on his stomach, fast asleep. Jisung didn’t care. Minho was a light sleeper anyways. He went ahead and shook him awake.

“Ugh… What do you want?” Minho groaned and buried his face further into the pillow.

“You always-.” Jisung huffed. “When Soobin wakes you up you have a much nicer reaction.”

“You aren’t four.” Minho sighed. “What do you need at this hour?”

“Um…” Jisung suddenly felt stupid for waking up just to tell him what he intended.

Minho rolled onto his side to look at him.

“I decided I don’t want to adopt.”

“Kay.” Minho rolled onto his stomach again.

“I feel like you aren’t even taking this seriously!” Jisung hit him in the back. Not very lightly either.

“No. _You’re_ not taking this very seriously.” Minho shot back. “What if you were to adopt? You don’t make enough money to support the kid. You don’t have your own place since the house is technically in my name. You haven’t even thought out if you’re ready.”

“I’m just telling you I’m not ready.” Jisung mumbled, scratching his head.

“I knew that already. Now leave me in peace.”

Jisung slid off his bed, feeling a little defeated.

Well, there went his big plan of the week.

Deep down he knew Minho wasn’t trying to be mean. It was just disheartening to have his own insecurities reflected back on him.

And yet, he couldn’t give it up.

A few days later he got home late from work. He possibly spent too much time hyping himself up in the car ride home because he literally opened the door and dropped his coat dramatically before speaking his mind.

“I want a baby.”

Minho looked back at him with wide eyes. He was snuggled up on the couch with a blanket over his legs and a plate of a brownie they had made the night before.

“Well?” Jisung asked for a response while kicking the door shut with his foot.

Minho sighed, moving aside his plate and pulling the blanket further around himself.

“I know you don’t- but I do and-.”

“I didn’t say I didn’t want one.” Minho interrupted.

“I know you don’t have the time and the space for a kid, but I want one so bad and it’s so frustrating to me that I can’t support one!” Jisung huffed and sat down next to him.

“Patience.” Minho replied.

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“It means what it means.” Minho said vaguely.

“You’re making me frustrated.” Jisung muttered.

“You can go somewhere else.” Minho suggested. “I’m just going to be watching a movie and then heading to bed.”

“You don’t want me to be with you?” Jisung frowned.

“Really Jisung?” Minho gave him an unimpressed look. “Are you really going to be this difficult? I had a long day and I need a rest.”

“Fine…” Jisung snatched up the remote and made a resolution to keep his mouth shut.

It wasn’t a great way to end the night, and the morning was much worse. It was Jisung’s birthday but he woke up to nothing special. Just a quiet house.

Soobin came to bother him for breakfast, telling him that Minho was sleeping in. Jisung peeked in his bedroom and was a bit disheartened to see it was true. Last birthday, Minho had made him a nice breakfast.

He ate regular cereal with Soobin, munching away without tasting much.

When Minho came out, he told him happy birthday and squeezed his shoulder on his way to the coffee machine. Jisung put on a smile for Soobin who got excited over it. His heart felt disappointed deep down though.

For lunch, there was nothing. Jisung kept waiting for something to happen, yet he got nothing. Minho went around as if it was a normal day.

The three of them drove to Changbin’s house for birthday dinner later in the evening. Jisung couldn’t find it in him to be so excited.

“What are you pouting about?” Minho poked him as they drove there. “It’s your birthday! You have to be happy!”

Jisung just shrugged, staring out at the road. He was still mad at Minho for how he treated his decision of wanting to adopt, and now he was brushing off his birthday.

He purposely ignored Minho as much as possible when they got there.

“Hey…” Minho said quietly when he caught him alone in the kitchen. “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, just fine.” Jisung smiled his best fake smile.

“Okay…” Minho looked skeptical. “You go hang out with Hyunjin. I’ll serve you dessert.”

“I can do it myself.” Jisung grinned and pushed him aside lightly to serve himself.

Minho seemed confused, but he couldn’t push it because Jisung started enjoying the night with everyone else.

They all sat in the living room to give presents. Soobin had fun “helping” Jisung open his presents, trying to tear the paper himself.

“Thank you!” Jisung hugged Jeongin who had gotten him earbuds. “Thank you all for my gifts! I love them!”

“You haven’t opened mine yet.” Minho spoke up.

Jisung had strangely assumed he didn’t have one for him.

“It’s a gift to the whole family I guess.” he explained. “But it’s something Jisung has been asking for…”

He handed Jisung a box and collected Soobin into his lap so he could open in peace.

“He probably got me socks. Like he did last year.” Jisung rolled his eyes. “Or maybe it’s nothing, like the year before that!”

There were a few awkward laughs, but Minho didn’t find it funny. Jisung glanced at him to see his face had gone stoic like it did when he was bothered. It just made Jisung want to egg him on even more.

“Did you want me to open it without everyone else? Maybe it would be embarrassing.” Jisung asked, pushing the boundaries. Minho stared back at him, something like hurt flickering in his eyes for a second.

“Just open it!” Jeongin urged him.

Jisung opened the box to find something wrapped up in tissue paper. When he first unwrapped it, he was confused. It was just a shirt. In a small size too.

“Looks like you gave me Soobin’s gift!” Jisung joked.

Soobin tried to get out of Minho’s lap to see but was held still.

“How is this a gift to the whole family?” Jisung held up the shirt, letting everyone see it.

It was a simple blue color with a number 2 on it.

Misun most have understood before Jisung because she suddenly gasped and turned to Minho. Changbin also looked stunned.

“Really?” she gasped.

Minho nodded, smiling shyly.

Changbin laughed and clapped his hands.

“What?” Jeongin asked.

Jisung looked at the shirt and then at Minho. Number two? He didn’t understand.

“I thought you wanted to expand our family.” Minho looked nervous.

Finally, it all made sense. Kid number two.

“I didn’t do much this year because I wanted to save money for our new addition.”

Jisung gripped the shirt in his fists and slowly slid into tears. He leaned over and pressed the fabric to his face.

“Took you long enough to get it!” Hyunjin smacked his back.

“Are you adopting?” Changbin asked Minho.

“Yeah. I thought Jisung would ruin the surprise with how much he has been asking me about it recently. I thought it would be good for Soobin too.” Minho rested his chin on Soobin’s head.

Jisung quickly wiped away his tears, still sniffling. It was a happy cry though.

“You’ve made all our gifts look bad!” Hyunjin teased and patted Minho on the shoulder.

“Aren’t you going to say something?” Misun urged Jisung.

Jisung didn’t know what to say, and he didn’t want to start crying again, so he just stood up and moved Soobin to the side so he could hug Minho.

“Happy birthday.” Minho whispered in his ear and nope, he was definitely not crying.

Jisung was emotional for a while, letting himself experience all the complicated emotions that had welled up over time.

When they drove back home, Minho surprised him by asking him if he had made the wrong choice.

“I couldn’t take it back once your family was all there.” Minho spoke up. “If you changed your mind then-.”

“No. No I didn’t.” Jisung interrupted him.

Minho nodded once and continued driving in silence.

“I was so mean to you.” Jisung choked out. “I had no idea and of course I should never have treated you like that, but I honestly was so confused.”

“You teased me in front of your family.”

Jisung knew Minho’s feelings were hurt. It was terrible to be excited over something and then be ridiculed and teased.

“It was so wrong of me and I’m so sorry.” Jisung bit his lip anxiously.

“Okay.”

“Please don’t stay angry at me!” Jisung pleaded. “I promise I won’t do it again!”

“I’m just disappointed.” Minho whispered.

It hurt more than if he had yelled and screamed.

“I thought you forgot about my birthday! I thought you didn’t want to do anything for me!”

“Do you really believe I would do that?” Minho looked so hurt. “I… how can you think that?”

“I don’t know!” Jisung winced. “I didn’t know what to think.”

“It’s fine.” Minho stared at the road.

“Minho-.”

“Leave it Jisung. It’s fine.”

It wasn’t fine.

Jisung had to stop himself from barging into Minho’s room at four in the morning to apologize again. As soon as he woke up, he went searching for him.

He was working on the cabinets in the garage.

“I’m sorry.”

He clenched his hands into fists nervously.

“It’s chilly out here. Put some socks on.” Minho scolded. “And a jacket.”

“I said I’m sorry.”

“I know you’re sorry and I already told you I forgive you.”

“You do?” Jisung frowned.

“Yeah, I forgave you last night. My heart just took a little bit to catch up.” Minho said and his smile was genuine. “I understand.”

Jisung moved closer to him, his bare feet cold on the concrete.

“You’re different than me. You’re more sensitive and read into people’s actions more. You care about how much quality time is given to you.” Minho explained. “I should have made sure you had a balance.”

“I was just a jerk.” Jisung grumbled.

“No, you were genuinely hurt that I didn’t make something that was a big deal to you special. I was so caught up in everything I didn’t even think.”

He smiled at Jisung again, letting him know everything really was okay.

“Why do we fight so much?” Jisung sighed defeatedly.

“Because we have so many bigger responsibilities now.” Minho answered. “And a little kid that we both parent without actually being parents. Until now we haven’t had boundaries to enforce…”

Jisung thought he was right. They had started to disagree on more things and have differing opinions on their shared experiences.

“I promised I wouldn’t tear you down anymore but… it’s hard when I’m in the heat of the moment.” Minho dropped his head. “It’s hard for me not to forget what I feel like are the little things, but aren’t little for you.”

“I make things worse by saying belittling things to you.” Jisung admitted. “I don’t mean it.”

“Well- how can we fix it?” Minho asked. “We always come back after time and make up. What makes us do that?”

“Taking a step back. We’re never able to make up when our tempers are high.”

“You’re right…” Minho tapped his chin on his fist. “Maybe we should purposely take breaks when tensions get high and return when we aren’t so worked up.”

“That sounds smart.” Jisung nodded.

“Okay. Well… I’m sorry, and I will work on it in the future.” Minho smiled.

“Me too.”

“Now I have to go see what mischief Soobin is getting up to now. And _you_ need to go put socks on or you’ll catch a cold!”

“When are you going to tell your family about adopting?” Jisung wrapped his arm around Minho’s waist as they headed inside together.

‘They already know. I debated for a long time with them. They’re excited too.”

“Oh, I’m glad.” Jisung nodded.

“We can get started in the process today if you want.”

“Let’s do it.”

A month passed. They took their time in the process. It wasn’t a quick or easy decision. They had to devote a lot of time and effort to it.

Then it was happening and it felt all too fast.

“Are you ready?” Jisung asked Soobin. He wasn’t sure he himself was ready honestly.

Soobin wiggled around excitedly, practically vibrating in anticipation.

Minho picked up their new addition, getting to meet him first. Jisung and Soobin waited at home, ready to welcome him warmly.

Soobin had spent the morning doing a craft for him.

Minho got out of the car first, smiling at them and then opening the car door and revealing their new little one.

Soobin yanked his hand out of Jisung’s grasp and ran over to be the first to greet him. Jisung followed after him.

Jisung’s heart caught in his chest seeing the little boy Minho unbuckled from his carseat. It was the same feeling he had gotten when he held baby Soobin for the first time.

Soobin looked at the little boy without saying a word. He was suddenly shy, hanging onto Minho’s leg. Minho held the new little boy’s hand.

He had sharper features than Soobin, but his face was still soft and round. He stared back at Soobin curiously, the two of them trying to figure each other out.

Jisung wasn’t sure how long they were going to size each other up until Soobin stretched his fist out. He slowly uncurled it to expose a roly-poly bug he must have picked up just a moment before laying in his palm.

“Oh- bud-.” Minho quickly wiped it out of his hand.

The little boy let go of Minho’s hand and crouched down, carefully picking the little bug back up and then holding it out to Soobin. Jisung grinned. They would definitely be friends.

He then turned to Jisung, looking at him curiously.

“Hi there!” Jisung waved and crouched down to be on his level. “My name is Jisung!”

“My name is Yeonjun.” he pointed at himself and spoke quietly.

“I’m so glad you’re here!” Jisung said enthusiastically. “I live here too so you’ll see a lot of me!”

Yeonjun nodded wiggled his fingers at his sides.

Soobin interrupted them by tapping Yeonjun’s arm.

“Do you want to be my friend?” he asked innocently.

“Okay.” Yeonjun nodded.

“I made you a card!” Soobin grabbed Yeonjun’s hand and pulled him along towards the house. “I’ll show you!”

Jisung caught the way Minho looked down at the two of them fondly.

“I already love him.” Jisung hugged Minho tightly. “He’s so precious!”

He didn’t even know the new little boy, but it was a feeling he had in his heart.

The two of them followed the little ones into the house.

Yeonjun was all wide eyes as Soobin, with Minho’s help, toured him around the house. He had bounced around a lot in his early life and so the concept of a forever home was new and maybe even a bit frightening for him.

Jisung remembered how strange it was entering a new environment when he was young. You were expected to fall right into place when in reality you were confused and lost.

Jisung promised himself that he would do anything in his power not to let Yeonjun feel so alone in the transition.

Unfortunately, Minho had an appointment he couldn’t miss, so the first day was all on Jisung. Perhaps it was good though. Yeonjun may feel less overwhelmed.

“Do you want to play with the animals, or draw?” Jisung gave Yeonjun two options.

“Draw!” Soobin replied even though it wasn’t directed towards him.

Yeonjun nodded his agreement and reached for a pack of crayons.

They drew for a while. Well, Yeonjun drew. Soobin mostly talked to him the whole time, occasionally running into their room to bring a toy or book to show him.

The day flew by and soon it was time for a bath. Soobin needed one and Jisung figured getting a bath would also help introduce Yeonjun to their nighttime routine.

“Okay, bath time you sillies.” Jisung stood and headed to the bathroom.

Soobin immediately ran to his room to find his pajamas. He loved bath time.

It took a minute or two for Jisung to realize Yeonjun wasn’t following.

“Hey bud.” Jisung found him still coloring in the living room. “Time for a bath.”

He recognized the way Yeonjun’s shoulders curled in like he was trying to hide himself. He took a shuddering breath and stubbornly refused to stop drawing. Jisung knew something was up so he sat next to Yeonjun again.

“Do you not want to take a bath?” he asked.

Yeonjun shook his head and switched out his crayon.

“We have to take a bath before we go to bed.” Jisung told him. “It’s part of our nighttime routine, like brushing your teeth.”

Yeonjun didn’t respond, still avoiding Jisung’s gaze.

“Can you brush your teeth first?” Jisung asked. He hoped to lure him into the bathroom and then maybe he would be more willing to take a bath.

“Jiji!” Soobin called, ready to get in.

“Come on.” Jisung stood and offered his hand to Yeonjun.

Yeonjun slipped his hand into Jisung’s a bit hesitantly. He still had a sad or worried expression on his face.

Jisung set him up with his toothbrush and then helped Soobin into the bath. He had made a lot of bubbles this time for Yeonjun and Soobin to play with, but Yeonjun still eyed the tub warily, staying as close to the door as possible.

Apparently even Soobin’s excessive enthusiasm didn’t make Yeonjun waver. When Jisung attempted again after his teeth were clean, Yeonjun still refused.

“We have to now honey.” Jisung told him. “It’s getting late.”

When Yeonjun just stood watching Soobin, Jisung tried to undress him but Yeonjun freaked. He simultaneously burst into tears and wriggled out of Jisung’s grasp, shooting out of the bathroom.

“Why is he sad?” Soobin asked in confusion.

“I’m not sure…” Jisung spoke aloud, heading off to find Yeonjun.

Before he went in the direction the little boy had gone, he called Minho.

“I’m half an hour away.” Minho told him. “Is everything okay?”

“Um… mostly?” Jisung bit his lip. “Yeonjun is refusing to take a bath. Do you know why?”

“I’m not really sure…” Minho responded. “Why don’t you try one more time and if you don’t get anywhere then I’ll come in.”

“Okay, sounds good.” Jisung ended the call and headed to Yeonjun and Soobin’s shared bedroom.

He found him lying face down on his bed, his hands gripping his pillows.

“Yeonjun.” Jisung spoke his name just to let him know he was in the room so he wasn’t startled.

Yeonjun pressed his face further into his pillow, his cries trailing into nothing.

It was normal for young kids to be afraid of the bath, or dislike it, but Yeonjun was a bit old to have an irrational fear of the bath. There had to be something else.

“Can I see your face?” Jisung sat next to him on the bed.

Yeonjun slowly raised his face to look at Jisung.

“Why don’t you want to go in the bath?” Jisung asked gently, giving him an encouraging smile.

“Don’t wanna.” Yeonjun said without telling him why. Jisung suspected he wouldn’t be easy to crack.

“Soobin is having lots of fun in there right now.” Jisung tried to coax him into it. “Don’t you want to play with him?”

“No. I don’t want to take a bath.” Yeonjun’s eyes filled with tears again. Jisung quickly hushed him.

“Okay.” Jisung decided he would allow it. “Since it’s your first day here I will let you take one tomorrow. Is that better?”

Yeonjun contemplated the offer for a moment. He still had to take a bath, just not at that moment. Jisung hoped he had made the right decision granting permission to postpone.

“Okay.” Yeonjun said quietly, wiping his face with his sleeve.

“Let’s change into pajamas then.” Jisung smiled and stood.

When Minho got home, Jisung filled him in.

“Is it okay I told him we can try again tomorrow?” Jisung twisted the hem of his shirt through his fingers.

“Yeah, that’s fine. We can approach it gradually instead of jumping into it.” Minho assured him. “I suspected there would be a lot to learn about him.”

The next day went spectacularly. Minho was home so they spent a lot of time as a family just enjoying each other’s presence.

Yeonjun was still shy, but he opened up a bit more with every interaction. He still adamantly refused a bath though.

“What are you doing up so late?” Jisung asked Minho, who was working in the garage still.

“I neglected our cabinets for a while.” Minho winced. “Can you bring me a coat? I want to work for a bit longer.”

Jisung rolled his eyes but did as he was asked.

“Oh-.” Jisung was startled by Yeonjun standing in the hallway when he went back into the house. “Why aren’t you asleep yet bud?”

“I’m hungry.” Yeonjun replied softly.

“Um…” Jisung considered for a moment. “Okay, hold on.”

He quickly retrieved Minho’s jacket and delivered it to him outside, and then returned to Yeonjun.

“What kind of snack do you want?” Jisung opened the cupboard so he could see the choices.

Yeonjun stood beside him, his head just hitting Jisung’s waist.

Jisung looked down at him when he didn’t respond. Instead, a small warm hand slipped into his. Yeonjun’s brown puppy dog eyes blinked up at him.

They stared at each other for a minute. Just observing each other.

“Are you really hungry?” Jisung asked.

Yeonjun swayed their joined hands back and forth slightly.

“I’m supposed to have you on a bedtime.” Jisung sighed but lifted Yeonjun into his arms. “I could get in trouble for letting you run wild.”

Yeonjun running wild was probably an exaggeration. He sat on Jisung’s lap when they moved to the couch, as calm and quiet as ever.

Yeonjun seemed happy to stare at Jisung a little longer. His fingers twitched before reaching up and touching Jisung’s hair hesitantly.

“You have straight hair.” he commented softly.

“I do.”

“D-Daddy has straight hair.”

“He does.”

“Then how come Soobin has wavy?”

Jisung was struck still for a moment. Yeonjun asked a legitimate question, he was just surprised to hear it asked.

“Are you confused?” Jisung smiled gently at the little boy in his lap.

Yeonjun nodded, his own hair flopping on his forehead.

“Soobin is adopted.” Jisung said. “Do you know what that means?”

“You aren’t his daddy.” Yeonjun answered wisely.

“Right. Neither is Minho _technically_ , but Soobin is still a part of our family.”

“Like me?” Yeonjun tilted his head.

“Yes, you’re right!” Jisung was glad he didn’t have to explain to him.

“Soobin is like me…” Yeonjun seemed to be putting the pieces together.

It was often times hard for a young child to understand how they fit within a family, or even how the other parts of the family worked. It was a learning process.

“Is Soobin your friend?” Jisung trailed his fingers lightly up and down Yeonjun’s arms.

“Yes. He is nice.” Yeonjun nodded. “I like his laugh.”

“I’m glad.” Jisung smiled at how simple and sweet Yeonjun was.

“Is daddy working out there?” Yeonjun pointed towards the garage.

Jisung was happy to hear Yeonjun call Minho his daddy already.

“Yep. He’s making new cabinets for our kitchen because our old ones don’t work anymore!”

“Can I go see?” Yeonjun sat up a little straighter.

“Oh I don’t know… it’s late…”

“Please?” Yeonjun knew how to ask nicely. “I want to see…”

Jisung figured it might be a good way to segway him into bed.

“Okay, really quick and then it’s back in bed for you little one.” Jisung stood, holding Yeonjun in his arms and maybe stealing a small kiss.

He opened the door to the garage and slowly stepped inside to see what Minho was up to.

“Jisung…” Minho gave him a stern look when they came in.

“He was so pitiful.” Jisung defended himself. “He just wanted to see what you were doing and then it’s back to bed!”

“It’s late.” Minho sighed.

Jisung noted how interested Yeonjun was. He moved his head eagerly to try and catch what Minho was doing.

“I’m just working on measuring the inner shelves.” Minho motioned to his work. “Making them fit inside.”

He looked at Jisung and Yeonjun for a moment and then pulled something from the cluttered workbench.

“Have you seen one of these?” Minho held it out for Yeonjun to take.

The little boy held the hinge in both hands, wiggling it back and forth. He looked mesmerized by the contraption. It drew a smile from both Minho and Jisung.

“I’ll let you watch me tomorrow.” Minho promised and took the hinge back. “When it’s not late.”

“Time for bed.” Jisung patted Yeonjun’s back.

“I wanna stay with daddy.” Yeonjun reached out for Minho.

“I’m all done for tonight.” Minho winked at Jisung and took Yeonjun. “Let’s go back to bed together. Then we can do more tomorrow.”

Jisung smiled at Minho’s tactic to get him into bed but also not let him down. He made sure to turn all of the lights off in the garage as the three of them headed inside.

The first two days felt like they passed in a blur. Jisung was always so happy to see Yeonjun pad into the kitchen with sleepy eyes and bedhead. He had a feeling Yeonjun was still hiding away his personality because he was shy, but he was already a sweet kid.

Unfortunately, he had a strong aversion to baths.

They were putting together a puzzle in the living room when Jisung noticed Yeonjun kept brushing his hair out of his face. It was getting limp and oily without a wash.

“You need to take a bath.” Jisung sighed. Yeonjun tensed up a little.

Jisung went to the bathroom and returned with a temporary solution.

“Don’t want a bath.” Yeonjun reiterated in case he had forgotten.

“I got it bud...” Jisung slid his fingers under Yeonjun’s hair. It was soft and healthy even if it was a little greasy. He gathered it into the best ponytail he could muster and slipped the elastic on.

Yeonjun curiously put his hand up and touched the little tuft of hair that stuck up from the top of his head. It looked like a little sprout that was flopping over a little.

“I want one!” Soobin clapped his hands, liking Jisung’s creation.

“Yeah?” Jisung smiled. “Okay.”

He fashioned a little sprout for Soobin as well. The two boys giggled when they looked at each other and patted each other’s little ponytails.

Jisung snapped a quick picture because it was too cute. He sent it off to Hyunjin and Minho for them to enjoy as well.

They couldn’t put off bath time forever though. When Minho came home, he decided they would have to get it over with. Jisung wasn’t looking forward to it, but he agreed it needed to be done.

When Minho came to collect Yeonjun, the game of avoidance began again. He hid behind Jisung’s legs, fitting himself between them and the cabinets behind him.

“Oh, I hate to do this to you.” Minho winced before grabbing Yeonjun and lifting him into his arms. Yeonjun tried to grab onto Jisung but his fingers slipped away.

Immediately, his eyes watered and he reached for Jisung, twisting his body to get to him. Maybe he thought Jisung would protect him from having to take a bath.

“I can try again.” Jisung was reaching for Yeonjun before he even realized it himself. He felt bad seeing the little boy be distressed and it seemed he preferred Jisung slightly over Minho in this situation.

“You sure?” Minho seemed hesitant to let him go.

Yeonjun was sandwiched between them, his arms wrapped around Jisung’s neck but his waist held by Minho.

“I’ll try my best.” Jisung smiled and took Yeonjun fully into his arms.

Jisung took his time undoing Yeonjun’s sprout hairstyle and gently combing his hair down. He talked to him the whole time, hoping to distract.

“Okay. Do you want to feel the water first?” Jisung crouched down and moved his hand around in the bath.

Yeonjun shook his head.

“Come on! It’s so warm!” Jisung said energetically.

Yeonjun stood a fair distance away from the tub and stretched his hand out slowly. He crouched down and inched closer, his fingertips barely clearing the lip of the tub and brushing the water inside.

Jisung watched closely, trying to analyze the situation. Yeonjun was obviously afraid of the bath. Jisung just needed to know why, and how to get him to feel less afraid.

“Is it warm?” Jisung asked, watching his fingers wiggle around in the water.

Yeonjun nodded and then retracted his hands, wiping the water off on his shirt and standing up again. Jisung could tell he wanted to be done, preferably never have to encounter a bath again.

“Come here honey.” Jisung coaxed him over to where he was crouched gently.

He sat down with his back against the wall, expecting that Yeonjun would need to talk it through before he braved the bath.

Yeonjun hesitantly approached him, crouching next to him on the side farthest from the bath. Jisung gently guided him onto his lap instead.

He placed his hand on Yeonjun’s chest, over his heart. He could feel his heartbeat steadily pounding against his palm, racing with fear.

“You have to calm down, honey.” Jisung pulled him closer into a hug. “Your heart is racing.”

He cuddled Yeonjun close, pressing two fingers against his wrist to monitor his pulse. He waited a few minutes until his heart had stopped racing. Yeonjun slowly relaxed against him, letting out a tired breath.

“Are you sleepy?” Jisung asked.

“Uh huh.” Yeonjun nodded.

“We’ll go to bed right after bath time.” Jisung patted his back and gently sat him up. “Are you ready?”

“I don’t wanna take a bath.” Yeonjun pouted at him.

“I know, but it’s time.” Jisung checked the temperature of the water. It was still warm.

Yeonjun turned his puppy dog eyes on him but didn’t start crying so Jisung decided to go ahead.

“Clothes off first.” Jisung pulled his shirt off and stood him up to get his pants off.

“Cold.” Yeonjun shivered and tried to burrow into Jisung.

“That’s why I made the water warm!” Jisung laughed lightly and pulled his socks off.

Once he was undressed, Jisung braced himself for the next step.

“Do you want me to put you in or do you want to step in?” Jisung held his hand to steady him.

“Please?” Yeonjun looked up at him pleadingly, begging him not to go in.

“It won’t be so bad.” Jisung helped him into the bath slowly.

As soon as he was sitting in the warm water, Yeonjun gripped the sides of the tub tightly, his breathing picking up again.

“It’s okay.” Jisung moved some bubbles closer to him.

Yeonjun slowly uncurled one hand from gripping the side of the tub. He reached out for one of the duck toys Soobin had.

“Isn’t that cute?” Jisung grinned. “He has a few other ones…”

He added a few more toys to the water. Yeonjun finally seemed to pay more attention to the toys than to his fear.

The only hard part was getting him to tilt his head back and let Jisung wash his hair. Minho had to come in and help shield his face from the water while Jisung worked quickly. A few tears were shed but it really wasn’t that bad.

Though as soon as Yeonjun was dressed, he bolted out of the bathroom. Minho and Jisung shared a weary high five of success even though they knew it wasn’t a full victory yet.

“Our main goal is to get him comfortable with us.” Minho told Jisung the next day. “We’ll unpack the trauma as we go, but we need him to know he can trust us and that we love him first.”

“He’s honestly… quite subdued.” Jisung commented. “He has let me know what he’s feeling much.”

“All I know is he loves watching me work.” Minho laughed.

Jisung glanced at Yeonjun who was at the back door a bit away from them.

He was making squeaky noises while crouching next to the door and looking at the hinge. He tried pushing the door back and forth to see how it worked.

“Maybe he’s meant to be a builder.” Jisung commented. “You should see how well he builds with Soobin’s toys.”

“He’s definitely interested in my tools.” Minho nodded. “I have to store them out of reach now.”

Jisung thought it was adorable how much Yeonjun admired Minho and tried to follow what he did.

“Are you ready to play outside Yeonjun?” Minho called to him.

“Yes!” he popped up and followed Minho outside.

Jisung went to his room to get some work done. He needed some alone time after watching the boys so much recently. Not that he was complaining, he loved it.

He was startled out of his calm by Minho kicking the door open, literally kicking it open.

“Oh my gosh!” Jisung gasped. “What is wrong with you?”

“Jisung, meet me in the bathroom, now.” Minho said forcefully and then he was gone again.

Jisung frowned in confusion and then trailed after him. Did one of the kids get hurt or something? As soon as he got to the bathroom, Minho tugged him in.

“What is wrong?” Jisung started to get worried.

“I was working in the garden and then-.” Minho winced, his hand covering over the middle of his torso.

“What happened?” Jisung was starting to freak out a little bit.

“I got stung by a bee.”

“I’m sorry, you what?” Jisung double checked.

“A bee! It flew up my shirt and stung me!” Minho hissed back.

“Well then why did you call me in here?”

“Because! I could be dying!” Minho gasped.

“From a bee sting?” Jisung gave him an unimpressed look.

“I’ve never been stung before! I could be deathly allergic! Plus it hurts!”

“Jeez! You’re acting like you got stabbed!” Jisung laughed.

“It hurts!”

Jisung kicked the door closed with his foot so he didn’t traumatize the boys.

He turned to Minho who was already gripping the counter tightly. He shook his head at how dramatic he was.

“Okay.” Jisung started to lift his shirt. “Let me see.”

“Don’t touch it!” Minho caught his hand.

“Will you stop?” Jisung struggled to hold back a laugh. “It’s not a big deal!”

Minho’s stomach muscles fluttered against Jisung’s fingers as he pushed his shirt up, his breathing short and fast. He was literally trembling with fear. Jisung dropped his head so Minho wouldn’t see him laughing to himself.

“T-There.”

Jisung could see a small red mark a bit under his sternum.

“You’re such a baby…”

“It hurts! You’re just laughing at me!” Minho pushed him away angrily.

“Okay- okay!” Jisung pulled out his wallet and took out a card.

“What are you going to do with that?” Minho asked nervously.

“Nothing.”

Jisung was quick and precise to swipe the card over the area to remove the stinger. Minho yelped and kicked him away.

“Ow- I’m trying to help you!” Jisung rubbed his shin. “I got the stinger out.”

“Not very gently…” Minho grumbled.

“Put some ice on it. You’ll be fine.” Jisung gave up.

“I won’t be helping you if you get stung.” Minho turned his nose up as he left.

“Won’t need help!” Jisung called back before going to see what the boys were up to.

There was something so comforting about having two little ones in the house. Chaotic yes, but also wonderful homey.

Jisung found himself never feeling lonely or bored with them. They constantly wanted to play in the backyard, build a fort in the living room, or just snuggle up together at the end of the day.

It was nearing one week of Yeonjun living with them and he was fitting in perfectly. The only small concern Jisung had was that he was so quiet and content on his own. He never asked for affection or attention. He seemed to just… be there.

He seemed to adore Minho but was awfully shy around him. It was sweet to see how he stared in wonder as Minho did projects around the house.

“Lift the back side of the cabinet.” Minho directed to Jisung.

They were finally pulling out the old ones and installing the new ones. The old cabinets were old and brittle though. They were hard to manage and heavy.

“Lift your side more so I can put my hand back there!” Jisung replied.

They had sent Yeonjun and Soobin outside so they wouldn’t be underfoot.

“If it tilts, we can set it down on the counter.” Minho advised him.

It did start to tilt, so Jisung slid his hand against the back of the cabinet that had been facing the wall. He yelped in surprise and the cabinet came crashing down onto the counter.

“Well, that’s one way to do it.” Minho laughed.

“Oh my…” Jisung stared at his hand that had grabbed the back of the cabinet. Dozens of splinters were poking up from his palm.

“Yikes! Is the back not smooth?” Minho grabbed his wrist to inspect his hand.

“Ow.” Jisung said weakly.

“Hold on, I’ll get tweezers.” Minho jogged off to the bathroom and came back.

“Wait! Don’t pull them out!” Jisung moved his hand away.

“What are you going to do? Leave them in there?”

“I-I don’t know! Just not-.” Jisung gulped nervously looking at the tweezers.

“You say you can handle a bee sting but not this?” Minho laughed.

“Ah! How dare you! This is much worse!” Jisung replied, affronted at his comment.

“I get a splinter at least twice a week.” Minho rolled his eyes. “I usually pull them out with my fingers. Would you prefer I do that?”

“No!” Jisung shakily extended his hand. “Just do it quick!”

“Well there are a lot…” Minho smirked.

He closed the tweezers around the biggest one and yanked it out.

“Ow, ow, ow!” Jisung tried to pull his hand away from Minho.

“Hold still you baby.” Minho lay his arm on the counter and leaned on it, basically pinning him down. Jisung let his forehead fall against Minho’s back.

“Gosh, how did you even manage this? There are like- a hundred!”

“Not- helping!” Jisung yelped as he pulled another one out.

“Daddy, is Jiji okay?” Soobin entered the kitchen.

“I’m just fine honey.” Jisung straightened and put on his best smile for him.

Minho yanked one out just then, making Jisung jump.

“Pull out another one and I’ll kill you.” Jisung hissed. He curled his other hand in Minho’s shirt, his nails scratching along his side.

“Why don’t you stay in here until daddy’s finished.” Minho suggested to Soobin. “You’ll be my protector.”

Jisung dug his fingers in Minho’s side angrily.

“Want to take a break?” Minho grinned.

“Just hurry up and finish!” Jisung forced a smile for Soobin.

Jisung soaked his hand in ice water after they were sure all the splinters were removed. He pouted at the kitchen table. He decided splinters were his least favorite thing.

“Dinner for you.” Minho at least had the foresight to serve up Jisung’s food for him since he was one handed at the moment.

Jisung mumbled a thanks as he set the plate in front of him.

“I dug a big hole!” Soobin told Jisung before dropping his plate of food for what felt like the hundredth time. He tended to dump his food off when he was climbing into his chair. On accident of course.

“Minho! I told you to give him his food after he was already sitting down!” Jisung scolded him.

“Oops.” Soobin started to clean up with Minho’s help.

“My mistake.” Minho sighed and prepared him another one.

Yeonjun just sat watching with his own food in front of him. He didn’t seem bothered by anything but he also didn’t seem very engaged.

“How was your day Yeonjun?” Jisung smiled at him.

“Good.”

Jisung nodded, not sure what to respond with.

“What was the most fun part about today?” Minho prompted.

“Um… doing a puzzle with Soobin.”

Soobin beamed at his mention.

Minho chose then to pull Jisung’s hand out of the water and wrap a towel around it.

“You-.” Jisung gasped.

“Your hand will become numb.” Minho shrugged and removed the bowl.

“Tomorrow we can go swimming!” Soobin raised his fork in the air.

“Yep. Just please keep your food on your plate.” Jisung reminded him.

Soobin had been eating better than usual but he still made a mess and played with his food, driving Jisung and Minho crazy.

Jisung’s hand was sore the next day but at least there were no more splinters. He tried not to use it much as he got the boys bundled into the car to go swimming.

They were swimming at Changbin’s community pool. Well, everyone but Jisung was. He just wasn’t feeling up to it.

He did make some delicious sandwiches though. He wanted everyone to be well fed after wearing themselves out swimming.

“How dare you not give me a hug?” Jisung called out to Jeongin as he carried things from their car to the pool.

Jeongin laughed and ran off with Soobin.

It was the first time his family was meeting Yeonjun. He was a bit shy, holding onto Minho’s hand and waving meekly to everyone. They got all set up while Yeonjun lingered next to Jisung.

He took the time to put sunscreen on the little boy.

“Ready to get in the water?” Minho called to Yeonjun. He got a nod in response.

Minho stripped off his shirt before moving to put Soobin’s floaties on.

“Woah…” Changbin commented. “What happened to you?”

“Did you guys get a cat?” Hyunjin laughed.

“Oh…” Minho laughed along with them. “It was Jisung.”

Jisung’s head snapped up to see what they were talking about. Hyunjin choked on his drink next to him.

On Minho’s left side, there were scratch marks from when he had taken Jisung’s splinters out. He didn’t even know he had scratched that much, or that hard.

Hyunjin was dying of laughter beside him while Jisung’s face heated up until he was surely looking like a strawberry.

“Jisung!” Changbin scolded him.

“It was an accident!” Jisung squeaked.

“I was taking out a splinter and he decided to take out his frustration on me.” Minho deadpanned.

Jisung covered his face, wanting to die.

“Were you being a baby again?” Hyunjin clapped him on the back.

Jisung opened his mouth to snap back at him but he caught Yeonjun standing in his swim gear, still waiting.

He trotted over to Jisung and hesitantly placed his hands on his knees.

“What’s up baby?” Jisung cupped his cheeks. “Sorry I’m not going in the water.”

“Why did you scratch daddy?”

Yikes. Not a great thing to explain to a child who probably had experiences with abusive caretakers.

“Oh- it was an accident. I didn’t mean it.” Jisung opened his knees to draw him closer. “We didn’t hurt each other on purpose.”

Yeonjun looked skeptical.

“Minho!” Jisung called to him. “Need you for a moment.”

“I’m busy!” Minho called back, trying to tug Soobin’s floaties on.

Jisung whistled shortly, their little cue for when something needed to be addressed immediately. Minho came and sat down next to Jisung.

“He’s worried about me hurting you.” Jisung told him, shame making his heart twist.

Minho was surprised too.

“I’m okay cutie!” Minho gave him a little squeeze. “It was an accident but I’m all better! It doesn’t even hurt!”

“Why?” Yeonjun tilted his head at Jisung. He didn’t understand how it happened.

“Well…”

“We were playing a game.” Minho cut in. “Teasing and joking like you and Soobin do and I accidentally made him scratch me. But I barely even noticed because it’s so small!”

Yeonjun seemed to understand. He nodded his head and smiled.

“Gosh, I wanna die!” Jisung hid his face in his hands as Yeonjun ran off to be with Soobin.

“And to think you laughed at me for a bee sting.” Minho smirked.

“See this bruise on my leg?” Jisung extended his foot to show the faint bruise on his shin. “You kicked me!”

“Fair enough.” Minho shrugged and rumpled his hair.

“I hate you.” Jisung grumbled. “I’ll buy you giant adult sized floaties and force you to wear them.”

“So scary!” Minho gasped and then laughed.

Jisung huffed and settled back into his chair.

Truth was, they didn’t know much about Yeonjun’s past. He was still so quiet and withdrawn. Jisung wasn’t sure what it would take to draw it out of him.

He reached over and rubbed Yeonjun’s arm when they took a lunch break. He smiled at Jisung briefly before taking another bite of his sandwich. Jisung wasn’t sure how to let Yeonjun know that he loved him and would do anything for him. Everything felt so basic. Each interaction just mediocre. Was he doing something wrong?

At the end of the day, Jisung lay in his bed with him reading a story. He fell asleep halfway through, tired from the day.

Jisung tucked him in and pressed a kiss to his forehead. He did the same to Soobin and then went to find Minho who had taken a phone call.

“What’s up?” Jisung slid on the couch next to him, jostling him as he lay his head on his shoulder.

“Bad news.” Minho replied, staring off into space.

“What bad news?” Jisung lifted his head just as fast to look at him.

“Um… we have a choice.” Minho answered. “We either look the other way and pretend it never happened, or we embrace it.”

“What?”

“Yeonjun has a brother.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SURPRISE! Betcha weren't expecting that! I'm accepting guesses for who it is! He has a U in his name... (Moas may hate me for this useless clue hahah) Also fun fact in Korean the "U" in their three names are all written with a different Hangul character so only in English can I make it vague lol


	7. Minho

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! I'm back after a long time. I honestly have not been feeling well and can only write for a little less than an hour every day. My motivation has been pretty dry recently. I did finish editing this chapter even though it's late. I hope you enjoy.
> 
> TW: self harm (non-graphic), Biting and scratching

Getting the news that Yeonjun had a brother was a shock. Apparently, his mother had kept his younger brother hidden, cycling him through other family members. When she thought she was in the clear, she had him live with her. Less than a year later, child services picked him up.

That’s were Minho came in. He and Jisung had many long talks about what would be best. They decided they would try to have Beomgyu and Yeonjun both. The only problem was, Beomgyu was in the foster care system so they would have to go through an uncertain process.

Nevertheless, Jisung and Minho decided they would go for it. It would take a bit of time to process however, and Minho took that time to dedicate his time to his other boys. Yeonjun’s birthday was drawing near and he wanted to have one more day to celebrate him before they introduced a new arrival.

Minho knew deep down that Yeonjun still hadn’t really latched onto him yet. He still seemed hesitant around him.

He was reminded of that one night when he was up late and Yeonjun got up for some reason. Minho had been sitting working in his office when he noticed Jisung and Yeonjun had moved to the couch.

Minho felt a tiny sliver of jealousy brewing in his chest. Why had Yeonjun gone to Jisung instead of him? Soobin always came to Minho when he had a nightmare or couldn’t sleep. Was Yeonjun more comfortable with Jisung? The thought honestly made Minho feel bad.

Yeonjun lay on Jisung who had sat down facing the TV. Minho stayed in the shadows, out of the dim light of the lamp Jisung had switched on.

Jisung was singing to Yeonjun softly, running his fingers down Yeonjun’s back. It was a sweet moment, one that Minho would have snuck a photo of if it was Soobin. But it was Yeonjun and it made Minho feel strange.

He should be the one comforting Yeonjun, rocking him back to sleep, or just the one he sought out when he was sad or lonely. Yeonjun and him hadn’t had any moments together and it weighed on Minho’s heart.

He turned back to his bedroom, trying to shake away the negative thoughts but they were persistent. Yeonjun didn’t seem… attached to him.

He laid awake for a long time. He heard Jisung return to bed after a little while and the house was quiet again. Minho was stuck in a mess of confusing thoughts until exhaustion dragged him under.

It made him feel a bit uneasy as Yeonjun’s birthday drew nearer. He had bought the little boy a gift, but it was nowhere near as nice as what Jisung had done. He knew it was a bit selfish, but he didn’t like the thought that Yeonjun was slowly choosing Jisung as his favorite.

He swallowed his doubts, reminding himself that things would even out over time. The morning of Yeonjun’s birthday, he got up early to make blueberry muffins for him.

Yeonjun wandered in after a little while, a pillow crease on his cheek.

“Happy birthday! Looks like you slept well.”

Minho traced the pink line that was evidence of his sleep.

“Where is Jiji?”

Yeonjun had picked up Jisung’s nickname from Soobin. It was sweet but Minho ached a little inside that his first thought had been of Jisung.

“He’s still asleep but I think you can go wake him up.” Minho said, patting his head.

He turned back to his task, greeting Soobin who joined him shortly.

It was relaxed and calm having breakfast as the four of them. Minho had suffocating under the urge to bundle Yeonjun up and shower him in his overwhelming love. He was beyond lucky to have such a sweet, kind, son who felt like a gift.

When it was time for gifts, Minho kept the two boys in the kitchen so Jisung could set out his gift for Yeonjun.

“Alright! You can come in now!” Jisung called for them.

It was pretty grand even for an adult. Jisung had found a kid sized work bench like Minho’s with various pretend tools and materials. He had splurged on it, but it felt like a necessary splurge.

When he saw it, Yeonjun gasped, his hands flying to his mouth and then back down, curling in the air in excitement.

Soobin ran forward first, probably not sure where the line was between his toy or Yeonjun’s toy. Yeonjun approached halfway and then stopped.

He turned back to Minho who was behind the couch.

Minho was confused as he quickly made his way around the couch to stand next to him.

“Jisung got it for you bud, not me!”

“I know.” Yeonjun replied and then shyly motioned from himself up to Minho. “We’re matching…”

“We’re what?” Minho leaned down to hear him better.

“We’re matching.”

Yeonjun looked up at him with wide eyes, balanced on the tip of his toes. He was hopeful. He was hoping that Minho would be as excited as him that they had something in common. This much Minho could tell.

“We do bud! I’m so excited!” Minho enthusiastically replied, placing his hands on Yeonjun’s face to give him a little squeeze.

Yeonjun lit up. His whole demeanor became more excited. He bounced slightly and ran back to look at the workbench.

Jisung dramatically mimed his heart breaking over how cute he was. Minho waved him away but he felt incredibly happy inside too.

“This is mine!” Yeonjun said excitedly, lifting up a toy hammer.

Minho knew that no gift could beat Jisung’s, but it had calmed his heart that Yeonjun had been most excited over being like _him_.

Yeonjun was so excited about it, he was loath to part with it so they could go to Chan’s house for a little celebration.

It made Minho happier than he could explain seeing Yeonjun so joyful.

They ended the night with both Jisung and Minho giving him cuddles before he settled in for bed. It felt right on so many levels.

The only thing weighing on Minho’s mind now, was the arrival of his brother. He would be dropped off in two days and then the process would start. One that Minho was all too familiar with. Court dates and visits, paperwork and a fair share of struggles.

He was ready he hoped.

The day before, he went to the mall to get things their new little one might need. He brought Yeonjun along with him in hopes of spending more times with him.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t a very fun trip and it was all hardcore shopping.

Minho could tell Yeonjun was starting to flag energy wise, when he stopped in front of a bakery store to look at the glass display.

“Yeonjun?” Minho looked back when he realized the little boy hadn’t followed him.

He was staring at the rows of pastries, the lights of the display reflecting off of his dark eyes. When Minho called his name again, he just reached up his hand, searching for Minho’s hand to hold without tearing his eyes away.

After a moment he snapped out of his trance and ran to catch up with Minho.

“One more store bud.” Minho patted his head.

Yeonjun nodded and held onto the edge of his sweater again so he wouldn’t get separated.

Minho tried to hurry in the last store. He needed a new coat for Soobin and new pants because he was growing so fast. Yeonjun followed him around for a little bit but his energy seemed to wane over time.

“Are you bored out of your mind?” Minho looked down at him.

He tilted his head from where he was crouched on the floor with his sleeve in between his teeth.

“Are your legs tired?” Minho asked.

Yeonjun’s little legs didn’t have the stamina of Minho’s. Usually Soobin would tell Minho when he was tired, or ask to be carried. Yeonjun didn’t vocalize those things so Minho had to guess.

“Want me to hold you?” Minho offered his arms.

Yeonjun considered for a moment and then shook his head and stood up.

“I’ll get you a reward for being so good.” Minho promised.

Once they were done, Minho headed back to the pastry shop Yeonjun had been enthralled with. Yeonjun’s little feet trotted faster as he realized where they were going.

“You can pick whatever you want.” Minho told him once they were standing outside the glass display.

Yeonjun looked amazed, pressing his hands and nose against the glass to look at the beautiful pastries up close. Minho smiled when he placed his finger on his chin in thought. He was such a cute child.

“I want that one.” Yeonjun pointed to a fluffy milk bread bun.

“Good choice.” Minho complimented him.

He paid for the treat and handed it to Yeonjun who accepted it with an open mouth. When he bit into it, powdered sugar got onto his cheeks.

Minho couldn’t stop stealing glances at him in the rearview mirror as he drove home. He seemed happy with his bun even at the end of a long day. Minho was glad Yeonjun was such a good eater. Soobin would probably have abandoned his treat after a few bites.

Minho praised him for finishing it all when he unbuckled him at home.

“You have sugar all over you!” Minho lifted him into his arms. “It’s because you’re so sweet.”

He pressed kisses over Yeonjun’s cheeks, appreciating the soft chubby baby cheeks. He pulled back after a second, realizing he hadn’t checked if Yeonjun was okay with the affection. It was just reflex since he often smothered Soobin in love.

Yeonjun was smiling happily though and didn’t seem bothered.

Minho was relieved as he dug his keys out of his pocket, Yeonjun still in his arms.

“I’m home.” he called out as he entered the apartment.

“You’re really late.” Jisung commented, coming into the entryway to greet them. Minho passed Yeonjun off to him.

“Sorry, it took a while. How was Soobin?” Minho toed his shoes off.

“Fine until an hour ago.” Jisung grimaced. “He’s throwing a fit right now…”

Minho rolled his eyes but went to find his baby.

He was laying on the carpet like he had passed out on the ground. Minho knew he was awake because his fingers pressed the buttons on the TV remote, glassy eyes turned to the black TV.

“What’s up bunny?” Minho lifted up his limp body. Soobin responded by giving him a hug.

“Jiji said no TV.” Soobin replied dejectedly, still pressing buttons on the remote. It was actually the remote to the DVD player.

“You watched cartoons in the morning.” Minho reminded him.

Soobin drew back to look at him, managing to look offended at his taking Jisung’s side.

“Oh, don’t be cross with me bud. You can find something else that’s fun to do.” Minho gave him an indulgent squeeze. “Now we are home you can play with Yeonjun.”

He let Soobin down so he could go off with Yeonjun.

Jisung joined him once they were out of earshot.

“Are we going to tell them today?”

“I guess better sooner than later.” Minho sighed. “Honestly, I think Soobin won’t mind as much as Yeonjun. It will be… strange.”

“With his mom in the picture…” Jisung winced. “We’ll have to keep them separate though.”

“Yep. It will be a lot but… it’s what’s best.” Minho gave Jisung a reassuring smile.

Both boys seemed a bit confused but took it in stride. Minho knew that there would be problems later on. He wouldn’t address those yet. First, they had to meet the little guy.

The day they brought him home was very different then when they did the same with Yeonjun.

Beomgyu shook Minho’s hand easily. He accepted the plush bear Jisung had brought for him. He chattered on with both of them happily, no shyness evident.

Minho was soaring on the clouds in the first few hours. Beomgyu seemed thrilled to be at their house. He didn’t seem to fully understand that Yeonjun was his brother, or maybe he didn’t care, because he was still so young. Yet he still seemed happy to have him as a playmate.

He raced around the house, touching things, opening all of their toy bins, and even bouncing on his bed for a moment.

“He is loving it.” Jisung grinned happily.

“Yeah no kidding.” Minho replied. “He’s having a blast.”

Everything was wonderful until dinnertime. Time to clean up their rampage through the toys and have their first family dinner as five.

Beomgyu first frowned when Soobin took a toy out of his grasp to put it away.

“Mine!” Beomgyu yanked the toy back from Soobin and then bopped him on the head with his flat hand. Soobin didn’t seem hurt, more confused.

“Oh! No hitting in this house.” Minho corrected him gently. “We also put away our toys when it’s time to be done.”

In response, Beomgyu leaned forward so he could scoop more toys onto his lap protectively. He raised his head and fixed Minho with quite a strong glare for a child.

“The sooner we clean up, the sooner we can have dinner!” Minho told him. “Can you smell the dinner I made? It’s going to be yummy!”

Beomgyu stubbornly kept his toys tucked in his lap.

“Alright, I’ll let you keep just one at the table, how does that sound?” Minho was trying his best to accommodate him so it didn’t result in a meltdown.

“Mine.” Beomgyu repeated, curling over them.

Minho sighed, shuffling forward on his knees and pulling one toy away from him. Beomgyu tried to snatch it back but then a few slid off his lap. It became a bit of a chaotic free for all while Minho calmly put them away and Beomgyu tried to grab onto anything he could.

Finally, there were only two toys still in Beomgyu’s possession, one in each hand.

“Let’s go eat and we can put those away later.” Minho told him.

Beomgyu continued to glare at him. When Minho reached his hand out, he shifted so his back was turned.

“Okay. Come eat when you’re ready.” Minho stood, hoping he would follow.

They all sat at the table. In a few minutes, Beomgyu came stomping in, literally. He stopped in front of Minho and growled at him, his hand that wasn’t holding the toys forming in a claw shape. Then he turned away and climbed into his booster seat with Jisung’s help.

Minho was a bit stunned. He had never received such a strong reaction from a child before. Soobin and Yeonjun looked confused as well.

Beomgyu set his toys next to him, one hand still resting on them protectively. With his other hand he grabbed food straight off his plate and brought it to his mouth.

“Oops! Here is your fork.” Jisung nudged it closer to him.

Beomgyu ignored him, still using his fingers.

Minho and Jisung shared a look. This was definitely more than they imagined they would get. Beomgyu seemed to have a fiery temper and was very obstinate already. It made Minho uneasy.

When it was bedtime, Beomgyu took his toys to bed with him. He reached out and hit Minho when he tried to take them away. Minho was at a loss. He decided one night couldn’t hurt and let him tuck them under his blankets.

“Wow… he’s…” Jisung sat at the kitchen table, looking stunned.

“It’s his first day.” Minho replied. “He’s just not used to us yet.”

“Yeah but… he’s so stubborn.” Jisung winced.

“I noticed that.” Minho sighed. “We’ll work on it over time.”

Unfortunately, the next two days were literal hell for all of them. Minho learned a lot about Beomgyu and none of it seemed good.

He was fiercely possessive. He had already claimed certain toys, books, even a plate as “mine”. He wanted to dominate every game and when it didn’t go his way, he would lash out at Yeonjun or Soobin.

He had a bad habit of hitting or kicking when he didn’t get his way. Minho had to constantly keep an eye on him. When he made the mistake of turning away, Yeonjun or Soobin would come crying to him.

He did things his way and no one could tell him differently. Minho had tried and failed to change bad habits.

When they ate, he would hold Beomgyu’s plate, pushing it close if he held his fork. If he used his hands, he would pull it away and remind him to use his utensil. At first Beomgyu had picked up his fork, realizing it was for him to use, but then he ditched it again, making a terrible mess. When Minho tried to pull his plate away to try again with the fork, he grabbed handfuls of food and held them in his hands defiantly. It made Minho feel a little sick.

He wouldn’t let Minho brush his teeth either. He insisted on doing it himself, making a mess of his chin and the bathroom counter. He was impulsive, reaching to scrub his toothbrush on the mirror and shouting when Minho took it away.

Sometimes it was a game and sometimes he was angry. Beomgyu had started turning the bedroom light back on every time Minho turned it off and at first, he had found it amusing. When Minho stood in the room and covered the switch with his hand, Beomgyu became angry and kicked Minho’s ankle.

He was a complete wild child and after their first visit, Minho knew why.

His mother let him do whatever he pleased. But if he did something she didn’t like, she would promptly smack him, and none too lightly. Minho had been shocked to witness it. Beomgyu sucked in his bottom lip and his eyes watered a little and then he was over it, moving on to something else.

“She’s training him all wrong!” Minho seethed to Jisung after the visit was over. He paced the backyard, having gone there for privacy. “She’s raised a kid who thinks he can do whatever he wants and if he crosses the line, he gets such a harsh punishment with no comfort! He didn’t even cry! She’s making him emotionless and self-centered!”

“He’s so different than Yeonjun…” Jisung thought out loud.

“Yeonjun was taken from them when he was young… they didn’t even know Beomgyu existed until now because he would hop around her family members. That also explains why he’s so possessive of things.” Minho sat down with a huff. “He has to take what he can get while it’s in front of him. He’s basically living on his own.”

“Poor thing.” Jisung grimaced. “He’s having a really hard time.”

“You should have compassion for us.” Minho laughed with no emotion. “How are we going to train these behaviors out of him?”

“We have to be really loving and gentle-.”

“I don’t think ‘gentle’ is going to survive his rampage.” Minho scoffed.

“Well what else can we do?” Jisung shot back. “It’s not like we can send him back.”

Silence hung between them for a moment. They actually could send Beomgyu back. They could say he didn’t fit their family and it didn’t work out.

“Please don’t even think of that.” Jisung caught Minho’s arm nervously. “We _can’t_ send him back.”

“I wasn’t thinking that.” Minho shrugged him off. “I’m just thinking how to keep Yeonjun and Soobin safe… It won’t be easy on them either.”

It truly wasn’t. Minho headed back inside just to be greeted with another scuffle in the bedroom. Beomgyu had claimed Soobin’s blanket as his and refused to give it back, resulting in tears.

“You’ll get it back.” Minho tried to soothe Soobin. “Don’t cry honey.”

Soobin sniffled, hiding behind Minho as he turned to address Beomgyu.

“Alright. Time to give it back.” Minho told him. “It’s Soobin’s.”

Beomgyu frowned and didn’t budge. Even when Minho grabbed onto one corner of the blanket.

“Beomgyu. Let go-.” Minho resisted the urge to yank Soobin’s special blankie out of Beomgyu’s tightly curled fists.

“I want it!” Beomgyu replied.

“I know but it’s not yours.” Minho said. “If you want one you can ask for it, but you can’t have this one.”

“I want one…” Beomgyu mumbled, asking as best he knew how probably.

“Okay. Let go of this one and I will get you one.” Minho nodded.

Slowly, bit by bit, Beomgyu loosened his grip and the blankie returned to Minho’s hand. He handed it off to Soobin.

“I’ll get you a new one.” Minho told Beomgyu.

Beomgyu held his hand out, waiting.

“Um…” Minho didn’t want to risk telling him he didn’t have one right that moment. Surely it would send him into another meltdown. So he improvised.

He went to their cabinet that held their kitchen towels and bathroom hand towels. He searched through to find one that didn’t look like the ones hanging up. He found a square towel that was somewhat of an ugly green, but it was softer than the other ones.

He returned to Beomgyu and showed it to him.

“This one can be yours okay?”

Beomgyu looked skeptical so Minho grabbed a marker from their desk and wrote his name on the tag.

“See? All yours.” Minho crossed his fingers behind his back.

Beomgyu inspected the tag and then nodded. He rubbed the soft fabric against his cheek. Though it wasn’t as soft as Soobin’s, it must have been acceptable because he took it to bed with him. A small collection of things he had claimed were stashed in the corner of his bed. He kept his blanket covering them so Minho wouldn’t see but the lump was obvious.

He wasn’t sure what to do about it yet.

Minho was woken up by a rhythmic thumping noise sometime in the darkest part of the night. He lay in bed for a few moments, trying to place where it was coming from. It seemed to be coming from Beomgyu’s room, but it was odd. They should be asleep.

Minho pulled himself out of bed to go check on the noise.

Beomgyu’s nightlight lit up the room enough for Minho to immediately see Beomgyu as soon as he opened the door. He was in a strange position, leaning up against the wall. The thumping didn’t stop as Beomgyu lifted his head and then let it fall back against the wall with a dull thud.

Minho froze for a moment, confused at what he was seeing before he processed it.

Carefully, he went to Beomgyu, sitting on the edge of his bed. The little boy was awake, his eyes shifting up to look at Minho.

Minho slid his hand in between Beomgyu’s head and the wall where he was hitting it, his palm cushioning Beomgyu’s head from collision. He wasn’t sure if Beomgyu would respond well to being touched, so he provided small alleviation of the behavior.

Nonverbally, Minho held Beomgyu’s wrist and drew him forward slowly, asking him to let Minho hold him. He didn’t resist, allowing himself to be drawn forward until he was held snugly in Minho’s arms.

Minho registered the shiver that went through his little frame before he relaxed against Minho as if he was worn out. It brought Minho to the verge of tears in seconds. There was an unspoken suffering hanging heavy and dark in the air. It seemed to have latched onto the little boy in his arms, intent on draining him.

The magnitude of the situation settled on Minho and made him cradle Beomgyu a little closer. He was too small to fight the darkness so Minho would have to do it for him. He was his protector even when the monster felt looming with sharp teeth.

He gently stroked his hand over Beomgyu’s head, wanting to soothe the area he had hurt. Who knew how long Beomgyu had been doing so before Minho became aware?

Beomgyu shifted, whining a little bit, his hand coming up to touch the spot on his head he had hurt. He was brought out of his daze, nuzzling further against Minho’s chest.

“You’re okay…” Minho whispered quietly and covered his hand. He moved it down and held it gently so he didn’t hurt himself further.

For the first time, Beomgyu lay pliant against Minho, slowly falling back into sleep without a fight.

His actions disturbed Minho a lot. It wasn’t normal for such a young child and Minho wasn’t sure how to help. When he lay him back down, his heart ached seeing his expression still screwed up in something like pain. Internal or external, Minho didn’t know.

The next day, Minho was able to return to his own safe Haven. He brought the boys to Chan’s house, enjoying the slight break it gave him.

“He’s so cute.”

Chan grinned watching Beomgyu play. He was so imaginative, babbling on and switching toys easily. Minho stared on silently.

“How has he been settling in?”

“Not well.” Minho replied seriously. “He’s a ticking time bomb.”

“Elaborate.” Chan prompted.

“He’s out of control. Doesn’t listen. Shows little to no positive emotion towards us… generally isn’t relational.”

“Like Felix was?”

“Not like Felix. It’s so much worse because he’s either screaming bloody murder, or going on a rampage half of the time.”

“Oh…” Chan scratched his head.

Chan got a chance to see what it was like when the boys played with crafts at the table. Similarly to the first night, Beomgyu wasn’t ready to clean up when it was time. He whined and tried to grab the bag they had stuffed everything into.

“Nope. We’re all done.” Minho shook his head.

He didn’t expect Beomgyu to literally snap. He surprised Minho by lunging forward over the table to grab onto the bag of supplies. Luckily, Chan had a firm grip and held him off as he tried to yank the bag back with him.

“Beomgyu- no.” Minho caught his hands and tried to uncurl them from the bag. It was shocking how strong his grip was.

Beomgyu realized Minho was going to overpower him so he promptly turned his head and bit down hard on Minho’s arm.

Minho yelped and jerked away on instinct. His hand immediately went to his arm to cover the spot that had been hurt by small teeth. Luckily, he hadn’t broken the skin but it would surely bruise nastily.

Beomgyu didn’t spare him a second glance, now struggling to his hands and knees on the table and pulling the bag with all his might.

“Minho-.”

Chan’s momentary lapse in focus allowed Beomgyu to wrap his arms around the bag, holding it close to his chest.

“I’m not done!” Beomgyu shouted.

Minho tried to pry his arms apart from the bag, determined not to let him win, but it was a hard struggle. Chan ended up having to hold him down against the table, as gently as possible of course, so Minho could snatch the bag away.

Minho promptly threw it away behind him, wanting it nowhere near. It made Beomgyu furious though. He kicked out at Minho and let out an angry squeal.

“I’ll take- him- upstairs.” Minho grunted as he played a short wrestling game to get Beomgyu in his arms. Once he had a grip on him, wrapping his arms around his chest from behind, he started making his way upstairs.

It was hard to keep a hold of him. Beomgyu thrashed and kicked and cried as if he was being kidnapped.

Minho got him to the bedroom and closed the door, letting him go. He crumpled to the floor, whining angrily. Minho sat on the bed, exhausted.

Beomgyu pushed himself up, wiping his eyes with his hands and then glaring at Minho.

“Don’t give me that look.”

Beomgyu went to the door. Minho stood in front of it, holding it closed with his hand. Beomgyu tried to push or pull him out of the way but it didn’t work.

“We’re going to take a break. You can go back downstairs when you’re calmed down.”

Beomgyu sat on the floor and crossed his arms.

It took him a good ten minutes before he finally uncrossed his arms and looked up at Minho with a calmer expression.

“Are you ready?”

“Yes.” Beomgyu nodded.

“Okay. We’re going to do a new activity and this time; you have to listen.” Minho advised him. “Otherwise, we’ll come back here.”

Beomgyu seemed to get the point and followed him downstairs calmly.

Minho wished he could say he won the battle, but he didn’t feel much peace in his heart. The spot where Beomgyu had bit him ached. It wasn’t normal for a child to bite their caretaker, at least outside of maybe being playful. Beomgyu had the intent to hurt.

“You okay?” Chan asked him.

“Mm hm. Fine.” Minho nodded.

All of the boys moved outside to play in the front yard. The driveway opened to a round cul-de-sac which made it easy to play in.

Chan was going to have Felix ride his bike and the rest play with various scooters and toys they had collected over the years.

“Look! I got a fish to hang from the handlebars.” Felix told Minho.

What looked like a little keychain rested in his hand. A fish dangled from it.

“So cool!” Minho replied appreciatively.

He helped Chan double check that the brakes worked on the bike, holding it up so Chan could work. He kept an eye on Beomgyu while doing so.

Felix had let him look at the fish and ultimately made the mistake of letting him hold it. Minho doubted it would end well.

“Can I have it back?”

Felix held his hand out for it.

Beomgyu ignored him, turning away and swinging the toy back and forth in the air.

“Give back the fish Beomgyu.”

All it took was Minho’s stern tone to have Beomgyu engaged in fight or flight mode. This time, it was flight. He gave Minho one calculating look and then took off running.

“Shoot-.” Minho was forced to lower the bike to the ground so he could run after the little boy. He was tearing off down the street as fast as his little legs could take him, which was unfortunately pretty fast.

Since he had a head start on Minho, it was hard to catch up to him. Minho huffed and puffed, finally catching up to him, only for Beomgyu to abruptly change directions and elude his grasp. Luckily, Chan was just behind them and he veered off to follow Beomgyu.

He tried to turn back one more time and headed right into Minho’s arms.

The whole neighborhood could probably hear Beomgyu’s angry screams as Minho dragged him back towards the house. He tried pulling him along by his hand but Beomgyu stubbornly went limp. Of course Minho couldn’t drag him along the asphalt, so he had to lift him.

Beomgyu’s teeth bit into his shoulder angrily while Minho wrestled the fish from his grasp and handed it back to a very stunned looking Felix.

“I can take him.” Chan reached for Beomgyu.

“Hold on- he’s latched onto me.” Minho winced. He sunk to his knees so Beomgyu was standing and tried to pry his fingers into his mouth to pull him off of his shoulder.

“Try this.” Chan pressed the back of Beomgyu’s head closer to Minho’s shoulder. It made his jaw release and Minho quickly shifted away.

Finally having run out of options, Beomgyu cried loudly. Chan picked him up, separating him from Minho.

Minho rubbed the spot Beomgyu had bitten. Nothing felt worse than having your child be aggressive towards you. Twice in one day was the worst.

They returned to sitting alone in a room, waiting for Beomgyu to calm down. Minho dropped his head into his hands, feeling defeated.

He decided it would be best to just go home since Beomgyu was causing chaos at Chan’s. Chan pulled him aside briefly first to give him ointment for his bites.

“How often does he bite you?” Chan asked worriedly.

“Not as much as he kicks or scratches me.” Minho sighed, rubbing on some ointment. “Today is the first of this new habit.”

“Does he lash out at the other boys?”

“Not really. It sometimes a smack or a push but not like he is with Jisung or me.”

“Have you-.”

“We’re doing everything. Behavioral therapy. Counseling. Joined a family group… it’s a lot.” Minho replied. “I think it’s too much and not enough at the same time.”

“That’s tough…”

“If we can just find a starting point to go from, that would be ideal.”

The problem was finding the starting point. So far, neither Jisung or him had been able to do anything other than manage him. It was exhausting.

Minho found himself having no energy to just make dinner after a long day. He had forced Beomgyu to stay close to him all day in hopes of avoiding a storm. It had been relatively calm other than Beomgyu throwing one of Soobin’s glass figurines and breaking it.

Minho looked down at the little boy combing through all the drawers in the kitchen.

He watched Beomgyu run his hands over the items in the drawer. After deciding for a moment, he plucked a spork of all things from the midst and trotted off with it, presumably to add it to his pile.

“Haven’t heard any screams for a while.” Jisung said teasingly when he joined him in the kitchen.

“He’s been too busy collecting things from around the house.” Minho sighed in defeat. “It's a bit concerning."

“We can bring it up in the group session tonight.”

“Is that tonight?” Minho groaned. “Let’s skip.”

“Too tired?”

“I’m practically dead.” Minho deadpanned.

“Should we do pizza and movie night?” Jisung suggested. “Sounds chill.”

“Yes please.”

Minho used to limit TV time, but now he was desperate for Beomgyu to sit in front of the TV for just a few more minutes every morning. He had too much energy and a short attention span.

Halfway through the movie, he got bored and started trying to pull the buttons off of the couch cushions.

“Aye- stop that.”

Minho pulled his hands away, trying to get him to sit and watch. Soobin was cuddled up with Jisung and Yeonjun was cocooned in blankets on the floor.

Beomgyu wiggled out of Minho’s arms and ran off somewhere. A moment later he returned with a pair of scissors, effectively stopping Minho’s heart for a moment.

“No you don’t-.”

Minho had to lunge across the couch to remove them from his hand. Unfortunately, a button was lost in such a short time.

“Okay, no more movie for you.” Minho sighed, picking him up like a sack of rice and carrying him into his room.

“What are we playing?” Beomgyu asked. As soon as he was set down, he started crawling towards the toy chest.

“Drawing.”

Minho grabbed the first thing he saw. He placed the sketchpad and a handful of crayons on the floor for Beomgyu to use. Beomgyu set aside the button he had taken captive and grabbed a red crayon.

Minho sat on the floor next to him, exhaustion making his very bones too heavy.

For once, Beomgyu spent a long time focused on the blank pad. Minho let him keep scribbling, filling one page all the way into the margins and then flipping it and continuing. He was humming under his breath, lost in his own world.

There it was again. That monster that loomed up around Beomgyu as he frantically scribbled onto the page, his humming more strained and movements more erratic. Minho was forced to just watch as he forged on with determination, something being released through his marker strokes.

His foot wiggled as he dashed a red stripe across his page and then returned to his short jerky lines and swirls.

Sometimes Beomgyu’s actions bordered on what Minho could only describe as anxious. He had so much pent up inside it seemed to always force its way out forcefully.

As much energy as Beomgyu had, most nights he crawled into bed looking downright drained. It worried Minho.

After some time, Beomgyu finally set aside his crayon and hopped up, running out to the others. Minho noted that it was late and bedtime should be happening.

Unfortunately, they couldn’t end the night without one more disaster. Jisung had let the other two boys have ice cream. When Beomgyu found out, he wanted some too.

“No. It’s late and you’ll be bouncing off the walls.” Minho said as he wrestled him in pajamas.

Beomgyu screamed and cried, trying to escape so he could get his treat. Minho spent an hour calming him down before he finally passed out in his bed, tear tracks still drying on his cheeks.

Minho didn’t even say goodnight to Jisung, just heading straight for bed and falling into sleep in second.

He was woken up to Jisung shaken him up at an odd hour of the night.

“What?” Minho groaned tiredly.

“Beomgyu isn’t in his bed!”

“What?!” Minho raised his head from his pillow.

“I was just checking and he’s not there!”

Minho was out of his bed in a flash. He tripped on his sheets a bit but recovered quickly.

“Where did you check?” he asked as he headed to Beomgyu’s room.

“Nowhere yet I just saw he was gone and woke you up right away.”

Minho spared a quick glance in his room to see his bed was indeed empty.

“Go check in the garage and backyard.” Minho instructed him.

He had a terrible fear of Beomgyu slipping out the back gate or through the side door of the garage. While Jisung went to check it out, Mino went to the front door. He was relieved to find it was still locked.

When he turned back around, he noticed a faint light from the kitchen.

He drew closer to investigate and realized the freezer was propped open. Sitting in front of the open door was Beomgyu, clad in his onesie.

He had a spoon in his hand but he seemed to be abandoning it for the use of his fingers to dip into the carton of ice cream he had been denied earlier. Minho’s shoulders slumped and the rush of adrenaline left him.

Jisung appeared beside him to take in the scene.

Beomgyu looked up at them innocently and waved once or twice with his spoon before focusing his attention on licking chocolate off his fingers.

“Who’s going to scold him?” Jisung whispered.

“I will.” Minho sighed. “You can go back to bed.”

“Good luck.” Jisung yawned and patted his shoulder.

Minho sat down cross-legged next to Beomgyu and took a second to take a deep breath.

“Yummy.” Beomgyu commented as if he had no idea Minho’s strict no still applied to after bedtime.

Minho opened his mouth to scold him but hesitated. For some reason he just couldn’t.

Beomgyu’s little fingers scooped melting ice cream into his mouth a bit messily, but his eyes were bright and happy. He was eager to have a sweet treat even though it was forbidden.

The night when Minho had found Beomgyu thumping his head against the wall rose to the forefront of his mind. In a small way, Beomgyu was just looking for something to make him happy. A distraction from all the other bad parts of his life.

Though it manifested in unhealthy ways, the bottom line was that he needed someone or something to comfort him and make him happy. It was just hard for Minho to balance giving him love and attention while still holding the line and letting him know that certain things were off limits.

In the moment, Minho had no ounce of strength to take away Beomgyu’s happiness. Instead, he reached up and pulled his own spoon from the cabinets to dip into the carton himself. Even if it wasn’t the best choice, he would fight a different battle.

Over time, Beomgyu had his fill of the ice cream and set his spoon on the floor. Minho wiped his face and hands and tucked him back into bed.

Minho’s favorite day of the week was Friday because it was the day Beomgyu went to a daycare. It was more of a parental support place, but a daycare sounded nicer.

Minho would love to sleep on those days, but his desire to spend time with his other two boys won out. However, something subtle had shifted in their household and Minho hated it.

Yeonjun was quiet as he played with Soobin. Minho sat close to them, struggling to get some work done. He had to take the minimum hours possible to keep up with everything.

Soobin and Yeonjun played so much more quietly than Beomgyu. Minho could actually let them play without needing to keep a constant eye on them. He didn’t expect any outbursts.

Until Yeonjun surprised all three of them.

Minho raised his head from his work when whining started to be heard from them.

“Are you two playing nicely?” he asked.

Soobin nodded and lowered his head. Yeonjun however, stared at Minho for a moment before raising his hand.

Yeonjun was just a child so his physical strength was lacking, but he landed a solid hit against Soobin’s cheek and then followed with a strong push that sent the younger boy to the floor.

“Yeonjun!” Minho gasped, lunging forward and snatching him away from Soobin.

Not before Yeonjun raised his foot to kick at Soobin, just grazing him as Minho yanked him up and away from Soobin.

Chaos broke loose in an instant, Soobin wailing loudly from where he lay on the floor. Minho set Yeonjun down a few feet away from him.

“No.” Minho said firmly. They were the first words that came to his mind. “We don’t hit.”

Yeonjun blinked up at him with a confused expression, as if he hadn’t just snapped and gotten physical with Soobin.

Minho turned away from him for a moment to address Soobin.

“Shh…” Minho lifted Soobin into his arms, cradling him gently. “It’s okay baby.”

Soobin sniffled against his neck. He was probably scared and startled more than anything. It had all happened so fast. Yeonjun had snapped.

Minho looked at Yeonjun. He was standing next to the couch, his face blank.

It was so strange. Most children would lash out if they were angry or frustrated and then act defiant or pout once their behavior was scolded. Yeonjun however seemed to lack the emotion Minho would expect. Him and Soobin were playing so well together.

“Shh…” Minho bounced Soobin slightly as he calmed down.

Soobin seemed confused too. He looked at Yeonjun over Minho’s shoulder like he was trying to figure out what he had done wrong.

“Yeonjun. Why did you do that?” Minho asked, clearly at a loss.

The little boy didn’t respond, looking down at his feet.

“That’s very naughty. You hurt Soobin.” Minho continued. “Tell him you’re sorry.”

Yeonjun’s eyes darted up at them and then back down. He reached out and picked up one of their toys off of the ground, raising it up.

“Yeonjun. Don’t throw that.” Minho said sternly.

A tense moment passed and then Yeonjun lowered it, looking incredibly guilty.

Minho turned the moment over and over in his head the rest of the day. It was truly uncommon for Yeonjun to lash out. In fact, he had never hurt Soobin before. It wasn’t like him.

“What’s wrong?” Jisung asked after noticing he was sitting staring off into space.

Minho raised his eyes to him tiredly. The boys were long since in bed but he couldn’t sleep a wink.

“I just…” Minho sighed. “All I do is run around managing Beomgyu and now… Yeonjun? Beomgyu gets a punishment every day and now I had to do the same for Yeonjun… What am I doing wrong?”

Jisung stayed silent, thinking along with Minho.

“I guess it’s just in my nature to want everything to be happy and fun… but I feel like all I do is make it no fun for either of them.” Minho admitted. “I don’t _like_ having to reprimand them.”

“I understand.” Jisung nodded. “You haven’t really gotten to love on him much with everything happening all at once.”

“What am I supposed to do?” Minho broke the silence. “I can’t just let Yeonjun hurt Soobin. But… when I went to punish him, it’s like he hasn’t done anything wrong. I almost feel _guilty_ for punishing him.”

“I know what you mean.” Jisung validated him. “He’s so sweet and gentle other than this random outbreaks. I mean… what was the trigger”

Minho swallowed.

“I don’t know. Let’s hope it’s a one-time thing.”

Jisung headed off to bed while Minho tried to return to his work. He couldn’t focus. So he set aside his laptop and padded into Yeonjun’s room. He was as quiet as possible as he leaned over Yeonjun in bed. Minho remembered just how young he was when he was asleep. Sometimes he acted so stoic and capable, he felt older.

Minho gently brushed his hair away from his face and leaned down, pressing a soft kiss to Yeonjun’s forehead.

He stirred slightly in his sleep but didn’t wake. Minho tucked the blanket around him a bit more and moved to Soobin.

“I love you two.” Minho murmured, gently stroking his hair back.

He had two sweet, lovely boys. Now he just needed to figure out how to connect with his wild one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please forgive any inaccuracies in the time period in which Beomgyu is placed with them. I had to stretch it out to fit some important things. Usually it would be instantaneous and there would be different procedures but I am a bit lazy so I went with it. Even if he's naughty, I view Beomgyu as the cutest little troublemaker ever! Also I was heavily inspired by him running away from things in real life for when he ran away with the fish. So flipping adorable hehe!


	8. Jisung

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! I'm back! Sorry for it being so long! I have not been well and had no time or energy to update! BUT I have good news that I think everyone will be excited for! I will say more at the end of the chapter! (Sorry it's a long recap)  
> This chapter is super long but super bad like I have no excuse but I have no way to fix it... hard to explain but... I kinda gave up so that I could move on and beat my writer's block. My lovely friend made a request! I added in diabetes, which she has. Hopefully, with her help (love you!), I can maybe share some information and spread awareness!  
> Enough talking! Enjoy!

Early one morning, Jisung had a bit of an epiphany when thinking about what Beomgyu’s behavioral therapist had said.

“We have to get a regular nap time for him.”

“Good luck. I don’t think it’s possible.” Minho replied sarcastically.

Beomgyu was a wholehearted objector of naps. He was like a wind-up toy. He could hustle and bustle around until his energy flagged and then he just plopped himself down and took his own nap. But they were always at random times in the day and in random places.

He was a light sleeper, so wherever he settled down for a nap, they left him there. It wasn’t worth trying to move him and wake him up.

Beomgyu had slept on the living room floor, on Soobin’s beanbag chair, and worst of all on the steps outside. Minho had moved him that time.

“We have to try.” Jisung persisted. “We’ll take turns. Let’s pick a time and that’s his nap time.”

“Isn’t it nice when he’s tired? He has less energy.”

“Gosh, you’re the worst!” Jisung huffed. “I’ll do it myself if I have to. He needs it I can tell.”

“Okay, okay I’ll help.” Minho replied.

Minho tried first but gave up quickly. Jisung persisted, trying to lay with Beomgyu and keep him in bed.

It didn’t work so well.

Beomgyu struggled out of his grasp and slid out of bed. He turned to Jisung and considered him for a moment. He shivered and rubbed his arms and then pointed to Jisung.

“Out of my bed.”

“Okay…”

Jisung slid out of bed feeling a bit hurt. Beomgyu didn’t want anything to do with him. Didn’t even want to be close to him.

Beomgyu crawled into bed again and wiggled under the covers.

“Are you going to sleep?” Jisung asked.

“Uh huh.”

“Okay.”

Jisung had no more energy or heart to monitor him. He just nodded and left, closing the door behind him.

He felt a little weak for being so hurt, but he couldn’t help but feel terrible at the way Beomgyu had shrugged him off.

Tears battled to escape as he tried to focus on his task of washing the dishes.

“Did he go down?” Minho asked, coming into the kitchen.

“Yeah…”

“Awesome! I thought it would be much harder. Nice job!”

Minho held his hand up for a high five. Jisung bit his lip and didn’t reciprocate the action.

“What’s wrong?”

“I don’t think he’s going to be okay.” Jisung managed to get out.

“Oh no- Jisung- don’t think like that.” Minho stepped forward and tugged him into a hug. “We have to stay positive.”

“He hates me.” Jisung whispered.

“He doesn’t hate you.” Minho replied. “I promise! I mean- he’s never bitten you or scratched you!”

“He pulled my hair today.”

“Okay well… those things happen. He’s just having a hard time adjusting.”

“But it’s been so long and he still doesn’t let me cuddle him!”

Minho drew back a little to see Jisung’s face.

“Are you sad he didn’t cuddle you?”

Jisung blinked at him for a moment and then he buried his face in his hands.

“Don’t tease me for that!”

“No I wasn’t teasing!” Minho quickly rubbed his hands over his arms. “I understand! It’s disheartening.”

“What if he never gets better?”

“He will get better. I promise.”

Progress was slow, but the other boys were hitting milestones along the way.

Yeonjun was getting better at bath time. He had gotten more courage after joining with Soobin, who of course had zero fear about the bath. Minho had suggested moving him to showering soon, but Soobin loved bath time so much it was easier to have them together.

Beomgyu’s bath times were a trip. He had no fear of the bath, but possibly he was a bit too bold. He had scared both Minho and Jisung the first time he had taken one by climbing onto the edge and plopping himself in belly flop style.

He tended to think it was okay to stand up in the tub mid bath and get in and out. Jisung tried to cut that habit, sometimes having to hold him down in the bath. They decided they had to make a change when his antics finally caused some real damage. He gashed his back on the water spout, resulting in hurt tears and a lot of panic.

Showers it was then. Jisung helped him into the shower and handed him the different soaps one at a time. He yanked back the curtain when Beomgyu let out a suspicious giggle.

He was squeezing the whole bottle of shampoo down the drain.

That was the end of unsupervised showers. Now it was curtain open showers only and still Beomgyu found ways to be mischievous. He tried to climb the wall by putting his hands and feet where the shampoo and conditioner sat. Jisung grabbed him quickly, getting himself wet in the process.

Finally, showers became the enemy. Minho showered with Beomgyu, forcing him to stick to washing and no other antics. Shouts of frustration echoed in the bathroom because playtime was cut short.

Jisung couldn’t help but find shower time a bit funny. The best moment was when Minho had taken Beomgyu to shower with him while Jisung and the other two boys worked on a puzzle.

Suddenly, a very wet and naked Beomgyu trotted in and sat next to them like nothing was wrong. There were still shampoo suds in his hair.

“Um excuse me.” Jisung reached across the table to tap his shoulder. “You should be in the shower.”

A few moments later, Minho came storming in with a towel around his waist. Beomgyu popped up, taking a few puzzle pieces with him, and dashed off away from him.

“Get back here!”

Minho proceeded to chase him around the house for a minute while Jisung laughed so hard he cried. Even though it was troublesome for Minho, it was a much-needed comedic moment.

“I should make him a playpen in the backyard and let him run around for hours to work off his energy.” Minho groaned once Beomgyu was all washed up and in pajamas.

“Are you talking about me?” Beomgyu asked, showing up again.

“Yes. We want you to be able to play and get all your energy out!” Minho said.

He reached down and rumpled his hair.

Beomgyu must have misunderstood because he then started a game of hide and seek. Jisung and Minho were not interested in playing in the slightest since it was bed time.

They had become used to Beomgyu finding places to hide, but it still was far from enjoyable. Minho especially was starting to run out of patience.

Jisung found Beomgyu in the garage messing with Minho’s tools. It was a bit of a close call but they had so many close calls recently it almost felt normal.

Minho was very alarmed though and was quick to pull Beomgyu away.

Beomgyu whined and tried to wiggle out of his arms.

“Beomgyu-.” Minho held him back. “It’s off limits!”

“I can help-.” Jisung tried to step forward.

Minho’s hand collided with his chest, pushing him back out of the way as he lifted Beomgyu up with impressive strength. He lugged him up the stairs, kicking the door open and taking him into the house.

Jisung stayed still, feeling stunned. His chest stung where Minho had shoved him. He had just… pushed him and it wasn’t gentle.

He stood there for a good minute, feeling complicated emotions.

After quite a while, he headed back into the house. Minho was in the kitchen, already at work scrubbing the dishes like nothing had happened.

“He’s just a total disaster today.” Minho said in a clipped tone. “I haven’t gotten a moments peace with him.”

Jisung stayed quiet, a lump in his throat.

“I’m never taking him anywhere ever again.” Minho seethed.

He was obviously angry and Jisung tried to reassure himself that he didn’t mean to hurt him. It wasn’t like Jisung was hurting anyways. Just a little inside.

Minho finished the dishes and threw his towel down.

“So, you wanna watch a movie or something? I can’t sleep.” Minho leaned back against the counter and rubbed his hands over his face.

“Whatever is fine with me.” Jisung replied softly.

“What did I do wrong this time?” Minho fixed him with a serious gaze.

Jisung blinked in surprise.

“Well? What did I do now that has you in a mood?” Minho gestured towards him.

“I’m not in a-.”

“Just tell me Jisung so I can apologize and we can move on.” Minho waved his hand in the air like he really didn’t care.

Tears stuck in Jisung’s throat and he stayed quiet. His attitude now hurt far worse than his earlier mistake.

“I’ve spent all day making mistakes, what’s one more, right?” Minho laughed drily. “Tell me.”

“Why are you so mean about it?” Jisung replied with a trembling voice.

“I don’t know, you tell me!” Minho raised his hands. “Tell me what I did!”

“I-I know you’re stressed a-and angry and tired… that’s why I didn’t say anything!” Jisung finally shot back. “You’re the one making it a thing, not me!”

“Then why are you crying?” Minho folded his arms.

“I’m not crying!” Jisung clenched his hands into fists as his eyesight blurred with his self-proclaimed nonexistent tears.

“Oh gosh-.” Minho groaned and pressed his hand to his face.

“I know you think I’m so pitiful and so stupid!” Jisung snapped. “But I am working just as hard as you are so I get to be angry and frustrated too!”

“Whatever! I don’t care if you’re angry! Just- keep it to a minimum because we’re barely hanging on here as it is!”

“Because only your feelings are valid now, huh?” Jisung wanted to scream at him. “You’re so selfish!”

“I have been anything but selfish!” Minho took a step forward.

“Stop-.”

Jisung stopped _himself_. He knew they were at a stalemate.

“Fine. Be angry at me if you want. I’m tired and I’m hurt and I just need a good night’s sleep.” Jisung said.

“Don’t leave like this-.”

“I need to take a break. Let’s come back to it in the morning.” Jisung managed to say calmly.

It didn’t feel great to walk away from the argument, but it didn’t feel right to keep ramping it up.

Jisung still managed to fall asleep quickly, his brain blocking out the argument. He couldn’t find the energy to even worry about it.

In the morning, he felt a little better and less emotional about what happened. It seemed Minho didn’t feel the same.

Jisung found him sitting in the living room.

“Did you stay up all night here?” he asked.

Minho didn’t respond but the answer was obvious. He still had his clothes on from the day before and he looked exhausted. But most of all, he looked like he had been crying. Still crying if Jisung looked closely.

“Are you crying?” Jisung whispered.

Minho shook his head but he couldn’t deny the tears clinging to his eyelashes.

“You don’t have to cry.”

Jisung gently brushed Minho’s bangs away from his eyes and patted his head.

“Tell me it will be alright?” Minho leaned into his touch.

“It will be alright. I promise.”

Minho hadn’t lashed out the night before because he was angry at Jisung. They were both struggling through their responsibilities and needed grace.

“I pulled this f-from my storage.” Minho said tearfully, holding up a worn puppy plushie with one ear missing.

“I remember this little guy.”

Jisung grinned and sat down next to Minho. It was the one he had given the older boy years and years ago when they were first separated.

“It reminded me that sometimes, even when you do everything right, you have to handle things going wrong. But they always work out in the end. Just maybe not the way you expect.”

“You’re right. It’s not the end of the world.” Jisung agreed.

“I just worry if it’s the right thing.” Minho whispered. “Keeping him here… he’s not happy and frankly neither are the rest of us.”

“Who said he’s not happy?”

Minho blinked at him in surprise.

“Beomgyu?”

“Yeah. Why is he not happy?” Jisung asked.

“I mean- it’s not like he’s a ball of happiness like Soobin. He isn’t content like Yeonjun.”

“Hold on.” Jisung touched his shoulder. “You’re comparing him to Soobin and Yeonjun. He isn’t like them.”

“Well I know that-.”

“But do we really? I have a hard time remembering this sometimes. He isn’t like them at all.”

“Okay…”

“As ‘naughty’ as he is, he isn’t trying to be disobedient a lot of the time. He’s just living the way he wants and what makes him happy.”

“But he actually is disobedient a lot of the time.” Minho argued.

“Yeah he is, but maybe if we loosened up on some things, then the other things would be less severe.”

“That sounds like the opposite of good parenting.” Minho laughed. “He will definitely go crazy.”

“Maybe our crazy is his normal.”

“Okay, give me an example. Help me understand.”

“He loves to run around the backyard and throw dirt. As strange as that seems to us, throwing dirt at people is fun for him.”

“True, but he shouldn’t throw dirt at Soobin or Yeonjun. It could get in their eyes or just get them dirty in general.” Minho replied.

“Our solution was to tell him he couldn’t go by the flowerbeds and make him sit on the steps when he disobeyed.”

“That didn’t work.”

“Because we didn’t consider that throwing dirt is a new, fun thing for him. We told him he couldn’t go around the dirt and now that’s all he’s focused on. Now he wants to rip up the grass to get to the dirt, or sneak around us.”

“I think I get what you’re saying.” Minho nodded. “We’ve made some behaviors worse by putting in a punishment.”

“Exactly. What if we redirected? We could tell him he can throw dirt, but only at the fence, or only into the wheelbarrow. He loves games, so why don’t we make it a game.” Jisung suggested.

“And I doubt he would do it long term because his attention span is pretty short.” Minho agreed.

“We still have to punish some behaviors, but let’s try to have this mindset. Maybe it will make things a little better.”

Minho grinned at Jisung.

“What?”

“I’m just impressed. You’ve grown up a lot. I kinda didn’t expect you to be like this.”

Jisung punched him in the arm.

“I can be mature!”

“I know! Just saying!” Minho shot back.

Jisung rolled his eyes but it did make him feel good.

Over the next week, Jisung tried to pinpoint what exactly Beomgyu liked. He liked playing games, but he tended to bend the rules in his favor. Most of all, he liked playing outside.

One day, Jisung put on a camping video for them to get them to sit at the table and eat. Beomgyu was hooked. He held the phone in his hands with his mouth open in awe.

“I wanna do this.” he informed Jisung, pointing at the video.

“Camping? Maybe one day.”

That answer wasn’t good enough for Beomgyu. He was obsessed. He built sheet forts, tried to go “fishing” in the bathtub and developed a concerning fascination with the flame on the stove. He tried putting sticks into it while Minho made dinner, ending in a very strict Minho and defiant Beomgyu.

“He wants to make a campfire.” Jisung explained.

“We are _not_ making a campfire. Indoor or outdoor.”

“What about camping not at home? Maybe if we went camping, he would feel satisfied.”

“Camping is a lot of work.” Minho replied.

“Just a thought…”

Two weeks later, they headed off to a campsite.

“I hate this.” Jisung grumbled.

“You’re the one who was dying to try it!” Minho laughed at him.

“Well now I know it was a bad idea!” Jisung snapped back. He hated the bugs that attacked him as soon as the sun started to set.

“I’ll catch you a fish tomorrow to make up for it.” Minho patted his back and moved to build the fire up again.

“Do you need some help?” Jisung asked Beomgyu as he struggled to scoop cheese onto his potato.

To make a simple dinner, they were baking potatoes in the fire and adding a few condiments.

As much as it sucked, with bugs and no electricity, it was kind of nice doing something different. The boys absolutely loved it. That was what mattered most.

Jisung finished helping Beomgyu make his potato and then wrapped it securely in tin foil and handed it to him to give to Minho. Beomgyu was absolutely on top of the moon. He was also being incredibly obedient.

The fire was warm and calming on Jisung’s face. It made him feel sleepy staring into it, but it could also be fatigue setting in from the day. It had only been one day of setting up their campsite and already Jisung was tired.

The boys had calmed down too, Soobin sitting in Jisung’s lap while they waited for their dinner to be done. Minho indulged the boys in a story, nothing scary though, that Jisung mostly tuned out. Unintentionally of course. He was just tired.

The potatoes turned out delicious. Jisung held Soobin’s for him while he ate, scooping out the inside but leaving the skin. Yeonjun ate the whole thing and Beomgyu picked most of the cheese off. Minho fed him bites of the soft potato slowly to make sure he was full.

Jisung was basically already half asleep as he helped Minho secure everything and get the boys ready for bed. Soobin and Yeonjun changed into their pajamas quickly because it was a bit chilly. Beomgyu didn’t seem to mind. He ran around the tent in just his panties, avoiding Minho.

“Got you!” Jisung grabbed him as he tried to run over his sleeping bag.

Minho threw him his pajamas.

“So much energy!” Jisung commented. “Let’s get your jammies on bud.”

“Are the bears coming while we sleep?” he asked for what felt like the millionth time.

It didn’t seem like he was asking out of fear. He genuinely wanted the bears to come visit them.

“No. No bears are coming tonight.” Jisung said quickly upon seeing Soobin’s worried face.

It was cozy in the tent. The perfect size so they could cuddle together but have enough space so they weren’t squished. The mats the had brought were squishy and protected them from the ground. Upon them were the sleeping bags and two more blankets to cover over for a little added warmth.

Minho was on one side and Jisung on the other, the three boys between them. Soobin had convinced Minho to let him sleep in his sleeping bag with him. It took them a while to settle down and finally sleep. Jisung was asleep in mere minutes.

When he woke up, he was disoriented at first. It was still dark and took him a good minute to place that he was in a tent.

Next to him was rustling and then Beomgyu’s head popped up. Jisung placed his hand on his back, hoping to guide him back to sleep.

“The bear.” Beomgyu whispered and pointed with a small finger outside the tent.

“No bear.” Jisung replied groggily. “Time to sleep.”

“I will miss the bear.” Beomgyu urged him.

“There is no bear.” Jisung scooted over and stuck his arm out to wrap around Beomgyu and essentially hold him down.

After another few minutes he was asleep again but now Jisung was awake.

“Minho.” he whispered.

Only the soft sounds of the night life responded.

“Minho.” Jisung carefully stretched his hand out and brushed up against his shoulder. It was as far as he could reach.

After trying to poke him awake for a bit, Minho stirred.

“What is it…”

“Can you hear anything?” Jisung whispered.

“No…” Minho sighed sleepily.

“What if there is a bear.” Jisung asked nervously.

“There’s no bears.”

“How do we know?” Jisung persisted, still anxious about it.

“Because there are no bears around here. The campsite directory literally stated that bears aren’t living in this area.” Minho groaned. “Can you sleep? I’m tired, leave me be.”

“Really?”

“Yes. You can check in the morning.” Minho grunted.

Jisung settled back into his sleeping bag feeling better. He wished Minho had told him sooner though.

The next day was absolutely chaotic. Jisung woke up to something not feeling right. Oh. Only two boys were cuddling up to him and Minho.

He shot upright and threw Soobin’s plushie he had brought at Minho’s head.

“Ow… I’m awake…”

“Where’s our third?”

Jisung struggled to untangle his legs from his sleeping bag while Minho had his own panicked moment, waking Yeonjun up at the same time.

They both pushed their way out of the tent to find Beomgyu peacefully sitting on a patch of grass just outside of the tent. He was digging in the dirt with a stick, oblivious to the fear he had just made them feel.

“I’m done.” Jisung groaned and tumbled back into the tent. He curled up to Soobin. It was too cold to get up.

That didn’t last long. Then all three boys were awake and ready to go fishing.

Jisung had been hesitant to do fishing, knowing Beomgyu could get in a lot of mischief easily. Minho had been confident though. He repeatedly waved away Jisung’s concerns, reminding him that it was an activity Beomgyu was really excited for.

All three boys gathered around Minho as he put a worm on the hook for them.

“Does it hurt him?” Yeonjun asked worriedly.

“Um… no it doesn’t.” Jisung didn’t have the heart to tell him any different. The worm would have a short life anyways.

“I don’t like it.” Soobin made a face.

“It’s okay. I’ll do it for you.” Minho grinned.

Jisung was glad because he wasn’t getting near the worm either.

Yeonjun was the most patient out of the three of them. He sat on his chair, swinging his legs, content to wait for a fish to come. Soobin and Beomgyu quickly became bored and went to the water’s edge to splash around.

Minho caught the first fish, putting it in a bucket of water. Beomgyu and Soobin were enthralled with it, dipping their fingers in to touch it.

Yeonjun finally caught one with Minho’s help and then they called it a day. It wasn’t the most exciting activity for the boys.

Jisung took the boys hiking while Minho cleaned the fish up so they could cook them.

Later that night, they roasted marshmallows, another activity all the boys were excited to try.

“Your marshmallow goes on the stick like this.”

Jisung modeled for Beomgyu how it was supposed to go. Beomgyu tried to pull it off again instantly.

“Here you go.” Jisung said, deciding not to fight him. He let him munch on a marshmallow while they roasted another one.

It was nice to have a vacation of sorts, especially one the kids enjoyed wholeheartedly.

It was nice to have a moment to themselves too though. Once the kids were asleep in the tent, Minho and Jisung lay down close by to look at the stars.

“This feels like something from a movie.” Jisung breathed in awe of what they got to see.

“It’s pretty epic.”

“Isn’t it strange to think how small we are? There are so many humans on the earth but our individual lives feel so important.”

“We are important.” Minho replied. “With a universe this vast and amazing, why can’t our lives be just as purposeful and incredible?”

“You’re right.” Jisung adjusted his head to be more comfortable. “It just feels so… massive.”

“It does.”

Jisung tried to trace the constellations but he realized he didn’t know as many as he thought. There were so many more stars than he had imagined existing.

“Stars have a really long lifespan. Did you know?” Minho asked. “The shortest lifespan is millions of years.”

“Wow. That’s crazy.” Jisung grinned. “Now my life feels so short.”

“It’s crazy to think that they go through so many generations of human lives.”

“It makes me feel more grateful for the time I was placed in.” Jisung voiced his more introspective thoughts. “In such a vast amount of time I exist in the perfect place for me.”

Minho hummed in agreement.

“I’m so glad I get to exist at the same time as you and Soobin, Yeonjun and Beomgyu… It’s destiny I guess.”

“Getting sappy on me, I see.” Minho teased.

“I mean it! I’m happy my life gets to have you guys in it.”

“Me too.”

Jisung counted the camping trip as a success.

Beomgyu’s mischievousness when it came to camping toned down once they were back home. He found other things to drive them crazy with.

Currently, he loved coloring with markers. Jisung had to sit nearby to make sure the markers stayed on his paper. There were already marks on their couch, door and who knows where else.

As he watched Beomgyu one afternoon. Soobin curled up on the couch next to him, his head laying on Jisung’s thigh.

“Not feeling well?” Jisung asked.

Soobin shook his head and shifted around to get comfortable.

Ever since they had gotten back from the camping trip, Jisung had noticed Soobin didn’t seem quite himself. He was tired and more irritable.

He ran his hand through Soobin’s soft hair, content to relax with him.

He put Soobin to bed early, Yeonjun tucking himself in as well. Only Beomgyu resisted, though that was typical. For some reason, he was extra energetic that night.

He ran around with his airplane toy an hour after his bedtime, stubbornly ignoring Jisung and Minho.

“No.” Minho said sternly, trying to take the toy from his hand. “It’s bedtime.”

Beomgyu squealed happily and abandoned the toy to jump on the couch.

“Don’t jump on the furniture.” Jisung said.

He tried to sit the little boy down but he didn’t listen.

Minho tried to take him to his bedroom and force him to lay down. The minute Minho tried to leave the room, Beomgyu hopped out of bed and went tearing through the house again.

“I thought you succeeded.” Jisung groaned when he came back from brushing his teeth.

It was already midnight.

“He won.” Minho frowned at the little boy playing with the toy from under the couch.

“What do we do?”

“Alright.” Minho suddenly spoke up to Beomgyu. “You can stay up all night. Let’s see how that feels in the morning.”

“Okay!” Beomgyu replied happily.

“Really?” Jisung asked.

“Got any other ideas?”

Minho grumbled on the way to his room. Jisung sat on the couch and kept an eye on Beomgyu until he fell asleep finally. It was early in the morning then.

The next morning was torture. Beomgyu had a therapy session fairly early in the day. Both Jisung and him were exhausted.

“Come on bud. You have to.” Jisung said while he tried to manhandle Beomgyu into his outfit. “Maybe you should remember this next time you want to stay up all night.”

Beomgyu just whined, dragging his feet when it was time to head out the door.

It was no surprise that therapy went awfully. Jisung tried to explain the situation without giving away that Minho and him had totally given up. Beomgyu fussed and whined the whole appointment, making it hard on Jisung, their therapist, and himself.

“This is good. We need a bad day to have something to work on and practice with.” the therapist told him.

Jisung tried to smile.

As tired as the two of them were, Jisung still wanted to stop by home and see Jeongin and his parents. Beomgyu was uncharacteristically quiet on the drive. He almost fell asleep just before they arrived.

“You can take a nap if you want.” Jisung told him.

Beomgyu wasn’t having that either. Every time Jisung tried to put him down, he would pop up and run around the house to see what everyone else was doing. He was tired enough to be grumpy but not enough to miss out on anything.

“I’m sorry he’s being such a pain.” Jisung sighed as Beomgyu beat his fist against Changbin’s thigh to be picked up.

“It’s okay.” Changbin replied graciously. “If you want me to hold you then you have to ask nicely.”

Beomgyu begrudgingly mumbled out his request so Changbin would lift him.

“You wanna see what I’m making for lunch?”

Changbin balanced him on his hip so he could see the vegetables being chopped up.

Beomgyu tilted away from Changbin to reach for a bell pepper slice. Jisung just pressed his hand to his back to steady him instead of scolding him.

“What color is that one?” Changbin asked the little boy.

“Mm… red.”

“Want to taste a green one too?”

Jisung softened a bit watching them interact. Changbin was so good and guiding the interactions so they were both happy and Beomgyu didn’t have a need to act out. It was hard being his parent because it involved being the bad guy sometimes. Being a grandpa was the fun job.

“Yours.”

Beomgyu held out a pepper for Jisung to take.

“Thank you.” Jisung grinned.

“Good sharing!” Changbin praised him.

Jisung wished he could bring Changbin back home with him to watch the kids. As much as he loved them, he would love a break.

“He looks like he’s doing well.” Changbin commented to him once Beomgyu ran off.

“Um… maybe. He’s not really connecting much. He’s… well you know.”

“An energetic boy?” Changbin smiled.

“That’s a nice way to put it.” Jisung replied. “He’s independent. We’re trying to work it out of him.”

“Or embrace it.”

“Trying.” Jisung sighed.

Changbin’s words were harder to put into practice than realize.

He watched as Beomgyu tried for a little bit to eat with his fork. He gave up, eating with his hands per the usual. Misun reached over to wipe his hands with a napkin every minute or so. It was discouraging.

Changbin seemed to pick up on it. Jisung was so down, he barely had motivation or energy to tease Jeongin or engage in their conversations.

“He’s doing just fine Ji.” Changbin murmured to him as they cleaned up the dishes.

“Thanks…”

Unfortunately, Beomgyu started displaying an odd behavior while he played after dinner. He kept scratching at his wrist like it was itchy.

“Don’t scratch bud.”

Jisung gently pulled his hand away from his wrist. Beomgyu glanced at him from the side of his eyes, an expression Jisung hadn’t really seen before. He almost looked hesitant.

Jisung glanced at his wrist. Any more scratching and he would have drawn blood.

He let Beomgyu go but a few minutes later, he caught him doing it again.

“Ouchie, don’t scratch yourself Gyu. I’ll have to put on a band-aid.” Jisung chastised.

“Why are you doing that?” Changbin commented.

Beomgyu avoided their gazes, trying to move back towards his toys but Jisung held him in place.

“Can you tell me why you scratched?” Changbin asked. “Are you itchy?”

“I don’t know.” Beomgyu mumbled.

“Hmm… seems not very fun. Kind of sore?”

Changbin gently brushed over his irritated skin. Beomgyu flinched.

“Am I in trouble?”

His soft brown eyes looked at Jisung worriedly. No defiance evident.

“No, you’re not.” Jisung responded, a little surprised.

He released Beomgyu, letting him wander over to play.

“That’s strange…”

“I’ve seen it before.” Changbin said.

“You have?”

“If my hunch is correct then yeah. Hyunjin did the exact same thing.”

Jisung frowned, not connecting the dots.

“It’s an outlet for him, consciously or not, he’s relieving something. Hyunjin used to cope in small ways before he trusted us.” Changbin explained.

“Please don’t tell me it’s my fault. I can’t handle anymore-.”

“No, of course not.” Changbin assured him. “He’s obviously very independent. He doesn’t really share what’s going on inside, if he even knows how to.”

“Minho told me he was banging his head on the wall one night.”

Changbin winced at his comment, making Jisung’s stomach twist.

“I’m afraid. We can’t do anything. I-Is he self-destructing and we can’t even stop it?”

“Shh, it’s okay.” Changbin soothed him. He had Jisung sit and calm down a bit.

“I worry about him all the time.”

“He’ll be okay. It’s just something to keep an eye on.” Changbin told him. “Children who self-harm from a young age are a little different.”

“Is he… self-harming? I can’t let him.” Jisung replied fearfully.

“He’s releasing emotions or distracting himself, which prompts some further questions. He’s such a young child he won’t be able to articulate perfectly, if at all. It will mostly take a lot of love and time.”

“Can I help him?”

“You already are helping him. And keep doing what you’re doing. Even if you feel discouraged, it’s good.”

“How do I stop him from hurting himself?”

“It will have to come over time. Be patient with him and yourself. That’s most important.”

Jisung nodded his understanding.

When he got home, he put Beomgyu to bed early, kneeling beside his bed and rubbing his back.

Minho found him in his room a while after he had fallen asleep.

“Did something happen?” he asked.

“Nothing much. Just want him to know I love him.” Jisung murmured.

He stepped out of the room and closed the door softly behind him.

“The other two are in bed but they want goodnight kisses.”

Jisung nodded, heading to see them. He loved all of their boys so much.

The next day, he had a small victory with Beomgyu. They went to the store and Beomgyu didn’t act out once. It was a big success.

When they got home, Soobin wasn’t having such a good time.

As soon as Jisung came in with Beomgyu, Soobin clung onto him.

“Oh- what’s wrong?”

Jisung leaned down to rub Soobin’s back. Beomgyu smacked his head and laughed.

“Don’t hit.” Jisung caught his hand. His hits barely phased Soobin now.

“He won’t tell me. See if you have better luck.”

Minho joined them, taking Beomgyu from Jisung.

Jisung picked Soobin up instead, carrying him to his room for some privacy.

“What’s wrong honey?”

Soobin quieted down, laying tiredly on Jisung, his cheek pressed to his shoulder.

“Are you just tired? Do you need a break?”

“Junnie mean to me…”

Jisung frowned. Yeonjun and Soobin rarely had conflict. Beomgyu usually stirred up enough for the both of them.

“How?” Jisung asked.

“Took my toys…”

“Oh. I’m sorry.” Jisung rubbed his back. “I’m sure he is still your friend and wants to play.”

Soobin turned his head and snuffled into Jisung’s neck.

“Wanna take a nap with me?”

Jisung lay back on his bed with him.

Their nap was refreshing to Jisung but not so much for Soobin. He was groggy and grumpy when Minho woke them up for dinner.

Later that night, Jisung was surprised to be woken up.

“What are you doing up?” Jisung asked as soon as he recognized it was Soobin. His alarm read early in the morning.

“I-I want to s-sleep with you.” Soobin replied, sounding like he was stuttering.

“That’s fine.”

Jisung agreed easily. It wasn’t often that Soobin wanted to sleep with him. Plus, he didn’t want to get up to put him back in bed.

However, when he helped Soobin into bed with him, he could tell something was wrong.

“Why are you shaking?” Jisung whispered. “Are you scared.”

“N-No.”

“Calm down bud. You need to relax.”

Jisung gently cuddled him close, mildly concerned about him shaking. He became more concerned when it didn’t stop even though Soobin was perfectly warm.

He reached over and turned on his bedroom lamp so he could see a bit better.

“Do you feel sick?” Jisung asked.

“J-Just not good.”

Jisung rested his hand on Soobin’s chest to feel if he was obviously hot, but he was more distracted by his rapid heartbeat thumping under his fingers.

“I’m going to take you to daddy.”

Jisung slid his hands under Soobin’s arms and lifted him out of bed. Minho would know what to do. He usually took care of Soobin when he was sick.

Jisung held Soobin’s hand to walk to Minho’s room, but Soobin promptly wobbled. His knees buckled and he stumbled, trying his best to walk. That explained why he came to Jisung since his room was closer.

“Do your legs hurt?”

“I c-can’t feel them.”

Jisung swiftly picked him up and hugged him close, starting to grow more worried by the moment. He subconsciously squeezed Soobin’s feet and calves gently to hopefully get blood flowing as they headed to Minho’s room.

Minho was a bit groggy when he woke up, but Jisung was persistent in pushing Soobin into his arms.

“Can’t sleep?” Minho asked Soobin, whose head rested heavily against him.

“He’s shaking really badly and he isn’t walking right.”

Jisung bit his thumb anxiously while Minho calmly felt Soobin’s temperature and pulse. He had him stand when Jisung told him his legs were numb, or something like that. Soobin sank to the floor after a moment, starting to whine a little bit.

“He’s a little sweaty but no fever.” Minho said, rubbing his eyes tiredly. “I’ll keep an eye on him, you can go back to bed.”

Something urged Jisung to stay. It just wasn’t the regular sick signs that Soobin displayed.

Minho picked Soobin up and rubbed his back as he headed to the bathroom to get their thermometer. Jisung heard but didn’t see Soobin throw up a moment later.

“I knew something was wrong!”

Jisung gathered Soobin into his arms while Minho grimaced and shrugged out of his soiled shirt.

“He just has the flu.” Minho sighed. “I’ll rest him in my room.”

“Why are you acting so strange?” Jisung whispered to Soobin, stroking his hair back. Soobin didn’t respond to his words or his touch.

“Go back to bed Jisung.” Minho repeated. “I’ll take it from here.”

“You can’t let him sleep while he’s like this. Something is off.” Jisung said.

“He just seems sick.”

Minho frowned and brushed his thumb over Soobin’s cheek.

“What’s wrong with his legs then?” Jisung argued.

“He’s weak because he’s tired.” Minho replied. He squeezed Jisung’s shoulder comfortingly.

“I’ll at least get him some water.” Jisung decided.

He lay Soobin in Minho’s bed while the latter turned on the shower to quickly rinse off from being thrown up on.

Jisung couldn’t help but feel anxious about the whole situation. Soobin had been sick many times before but not like this.

He retrieved a glass of water and then searched through their medicine drawer for something that might help the little boy.

“Jisung- he’s fine.” Minho assured him as he stepped out of the shower. “He’s a kid. Kids get sick often.”

“I just don’t want him to be uncomfortable.” Jisung murmured.

He didn’t want to explain to Minho that he had a bad feeling. He left the older boy in the bathroom so he could give Soobin his water.

“Wake up honey.”

Jisung touched Soobin’s shoulder gently.

“Drink some water and then you can sleep.”

Soobin seemed out cold. Jisung sighed and set the water aside. He almost turned away but hesitated. Soobin was a light sleeper so his heavy slumber so fast seemed odd.

Jisung shook him again patted his back. Nothing. He called his name a few times and shook him more vigorously before voicing his fear.

“He won’t wake up!”

Minho came into the room from the bathroom at his exclamation.

“Soobin! Wake up!” Jisung shook him a bit roughly.

“Move aside.”

Minho shifted Jisung away and climbed over the bed to Soobin’s side. He tried to wake him gently at first but then realized it was futile.

“Come on honey.” Minho lifted Soobin with a hand on the back of his neck and one on his back. “Show me your eyes. Come on.”

“Oh my god-.” Jisung whispered.

“Soobin.”

Minho shook him a little, his small body staying limp. Jisung’s heart was slamming against his ribcage in fear.

“Grab my keys.” Minho’s voiced turned serious in an instant.

He cradled Soobin in his arms as he shoved his feet into his shoes. Jisung scrambled to find his keys.

“Where are you taking him?” Jisung asked, though he already knew the answer.

“The emergency room. I need you to stay with the other kids and not freak them out.”

Minho had gone from calm acceptance to focused action as soon as Soobin took a turn. Jisung meanwhile, felt like he could break apart in worry. He trailed them to the car as Minho rushed to take him away.

“Jisung- look at me.” Minho grabbed his arm just before getting into the driver’s seat. “He’s going to be fine. You need to stay calm and watch the kids. Got it?”

Jisung bit his lip, glancing at Soobin limp in his carseat.

“Hey!” Minho raised his voice, snapping Jisung out of it. “Do you understand?”

“I do.” Jisung nodded.

The other two boys weren’t awake, so Jisung was left to pacing around the house, worrying himself out of his mind. Luckily, Minho sent him updates hour by hour.

The results were not what Jisung or Minho had on their radar at all.

The next few days were strange. Minho called Soobin’s biological mom even though they had hoped to cut all communication. He confirmed that type one diabetes ran in the family.

Jisung and Minho had to rethink what life would look like for them moving forward.

“It’s not the end of the world. For us or for him.” Jisung said bravely a few days after Soobin had dropped low enough for them to be alerted. “Hyunjin is perfectly functional with his condition. Many people live completely normal lives with diabetes.”

“I know. I just think it will be hard in the beginning. He won’t be used to it.” Minho sighed.

“It will be fine.” Jisung said encouragingly.

It was difficult since it was a big change to their everyday life, but they were slowly becoming better at it. Soobin had a pump implanted so it was a lot easier for them to regulate.

“Okay honey. Let’s check now.”

Soobin was still getting used to checking his blood sugar levels. Jisung was really the one checking, but he wanted Soobin to know how to as well since he would be doing it for the rest of his life. He just hated pricking his finger.

“It will be over quick and then you can pick a fun band aid!” Jisung said cheerfully.

It was a relatively simple process. He just needed to insert a test strip into his meter and then prick his finger and press the test strip to it. Of course, for a child, it was a bit scary.

“Don’t cry honey!”

Jisung pet Soobin’s head as he sniffled into his knee. Soobin hated being pricked and they did so fairly often.

“I’ll be really fast, I promise.” Jisung said.

He looked like a kicked puppy holding his hand out for Jisung to hold. It made Jisung feel like the bad guy.

He had a little device that looked like a fat pen that allowed him to press it to Soobin’s finger and press a button so a small needle would dart out and prick him. It was easier than using anything else to prick him because it was automatic.

Jisung wiped his finger with a tiny sanitizing wipe and did it quickly, pressing his test strip on and setting it aside so he could offer Soobin a band aid. He sniffled a bit as he picked a dinosaur one.

Jisung kissed his finger and then his forehead. He checked his pump and packed everything back into his kit for next time. They went through many band aids, but it made Soobin feel a little better.

“When am I done?” Soobin asked him mournfully, his face set in a pout.

“I’m sorry it’s hard.” Jisung avoided his question. “You’re so very brave and strong!”

Jisung looked up to find Yeonjun watching them quietly from the side.

“Hey Yeonjun. Wanna play with Soobin now?”

Yeonjun nodded slowly and waved his hand for Soobin to come. He was a little nervous around Jisung when he tested Soobin’s blood sugar. Hopefully he would become used to it over time.

“Is he getting a bit better?” Minho asked, coming in as the two boys left.

“Um, he still hates it but doesn’t resist.” Jisung sighed, cleaning up.

“He’s a brave little guy.” Minho smiled proudly.

“He is. The cutest too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promise this is the last time Minho and Jisung fight! You may think I'm cruel to have them argue all the time, but I think it's important to show just how hard it is to be a foster parent and how much stress it puts on the other family members! (But it's worth it if you are capable! I know I didn't put many details in this chapter so just ask me questions if you are confused in any way! I'm nice I promise and I love y'all so much so don't be afraid!
> 
> Sneak Peek: What have I been doing all this time? I did write A LOT for 3 other stories!  
> My personal favorite is a hybrid story that my best friend in the whole world (sungshinelog) and I have been writing together! We will be posting soon so stay tuned! I also have fallen more and more into Enhypen so expect an Enhypen centric story soon! Secondly, I have been writing a horror/thriller because my hobby has been watching horror movies recently so... it may not be many people's style but I am excited to share! I made it like a mystery not just creepy or gross! I'm also writing a story that's Minho centric (it's a baby story because I have baby fever and love my characters being soft for babies) 10 points for anyone who can guess who his baby is lol! 
> 
> And lastly! This will make some people sad I know, but I deleted Snow. It just wasn't working out and I was not attached to it at all anymore! Hopefully my new things will make up for it! (I'm so excited for y'all to see the hybrid story it's so very very soft)


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